Franklin Pierce University is a quaint New England school in Rindge, N.H., on 100 acres of land overlooking a body of water, Pearly Pond. To Jeffrey Ledesma, it’s Shangri-La.
The Norman Thomas righthander liked everything about the place on his official visit – from the coaching staff to his future teammates to the sprawling campus and the Ravens’ immense baseball facility, Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.
“There’s no other place I wanted to be,” he said.
Early this week, after receiving the necessary qualifying SAT score, Ledesma committed to the Division II power and coach Jayson King.
Denis Gostev
Norman Thomas' Jeffrey Ledesma has committed to Division II power Franklin Pierce.
“College baseball was always my goal since freshman year,” said Ledesma, who also drew interest from Concodia and a few junior colleges. “My brother played college baseball [at Baruch College]. It’s an experience I Know I had to have. I can pursue my dreams [at Franklin Pierce]. … Before I committed, I kept picturing myself on that mound. I felt like I could be there for the next four years. I couldn’t wait. It’s a great feeling.”
Ledesma was sold during his visit. He got to know King, his staff and the program’s players. He felt like a part of the team that weekend, like he would be with Franklin Pierce in the coming season just by hanging out with the team in their dorm rooms and attending a few practices.
“Everything looked so organized, so perfect,” he said.
Unlike many of his PSAL contemporaries, Ledesma was looking for a four-year school, not a junior college where he could go pro in a few years. Sure, that’s the eventual goal, Ledesma said, but not now. He’s interesting in gaining his degree in sports recreation and contributing to Franklin Pierce’s success.
Under King, the Ravens have won at least 31 games each season since 2002, have reached two NCAA national semifinals, five NCAA Regional titles and four Northeast-10 Conference championships. In addition, the club captured the ECAC Division II Championship in both 2002 and 2004.
“It’s a good place to develop as a player,” Ledesma said.
Ledesma has built on a solid junior year at Norman Thomas, going 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA to lead the Tigers to a 6-0 start in Manhattan A East. He’s been clocked at 88 mph, coach Luis Monell said, he’s worked extremely hard on his offspeed pitches and has emerged as one of the team’s leaders. Monell, who pitched for St. John’s, thinks Ledesma will succeed at Franklin Pierce.
“Maybe the first year or two there will be a learning curve, he’ll go through bumps and bruises, but he’ll learn from that,” Monell said. “He’s the type of kid who will work at something until he gets it right. By junior or senior year, he’ll excel.”
Monell is particularly proud of Ledesma, who has gotten it done in the classroom as well as on the diamond. Too many PSAL players, the coach said, are thinking about the quickest route to pro ball, kids who may not be good enough to begin with. Ledesma didn’t fall into that trap.
“It’s going to be a real good fit for Jeffrey, he’ll learn a lot at a program like that,” Monell said. “They get kids drafted, he’ll better his skills, become a lot smarter and take his game to the next level.”
zbraziller@nypost.com
Franklin Pierce, Jeffrey Ledesma, Norman Thomas, Norman Thomas, Ledesma, Luis Monell, Baruch College
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