Player Development

Best of the Best

Developing great players means starting with great teachers who both know the game and can help the girls understand how small changes can make big differences. Once a skill has been learned, applying it to real game situations and then allowing those skills to translate into muscle memory with constant practice. This is a process that takes place all year long, no matter what position is being played.

Ryan Leahy is joined by the following great teachers in helping the Angels develop as players.

Ryan Leahy

Founder & Coach

Ryan was a standout player at St. John's Prep where he earned MVP honors his senior year and was inducted into the Saint John’s Prep Hall of Fame in 2010. In college, he played one year at the University of San Francisco, and finished his college career at Boston College where he was team captain for two years and earned All-BIG EAST Second Team as well as All-BIG EAST Academic Team in 2003. He was signed by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as a free agent and spent five years in their minor league system, winning a Texas League championship in AA with the Arkansas Travelers and a Pioneer League championship in 2004 with the Provo Angels. As a coach, Ryan spent two years at the University of Pittsburgh and from 2010 to 2011 he was in charge of the entire Bobby Valentine (former Boston Red Sox Manager) All American national showcases. Ryan also spent 2 years as Director of player development for Legends Baseball LLC. Ryan formally served as the Area Scout for the LA Angels.

Derek Dana

Catching & Coach

Derek graduated from St. Mary's High School of Lynn in 1988. During his tenure there, the Spartans won the Division 3 state title in 1987 and 1988 under then-coach Tgettis. Dana was a pitcher and catcher in high school, but focused on catching at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants and played three years in the Giants' minor-league system. He played another couple of years of independent baseball in Texas. Derek has been the head baseball coach at St Mary's High School since 2008, winning the Div III state title in 2015 and was named the Boston Globe Coach of the Year that same year.

Dan Letarte

Assistant Coach

Dan has been the varsity baseball coach at St John's Prep since July 2013 and has led the Eagles to into the Super 8 Tournament and Catholic Conference Championships from 2014-2018. He has been a faculty member there since September 1998.

Eric Shepperson

Hitting Coordinator & Coach

Coming soon...

Colleen Newbury

Pitching & Coach

Coming soon...

Isabella Russo

Recruiting Director & Coach

Isabella graduated from Southington High School (Southington, CT) in 2015. Winning 3 state championships during her tenure, she was a part of the nationally ranked high school in the Class L division. The high honors student was a winner of several on-the-field awards, including the Selfless Award (2014) and Rally Starter Award (2015). She went on to play at the University of Saint Joseph serving as a captain for 3 years. She was a part of the GNAC winning team in 2019 and clinched a spot on the All-Tournament Team. After Saint Joe's, she went on to get her Master's in the Administration of Higher Education from Suffolk University which landed her the Head Softball Coach job at Salem State University. In her inaugural season, she brought the team to playoffs for the first time in six years. She specializes in College Recruiting and currently runs the Orientation process at Salem State University.