FRANK LEO
The New York native will be entering his 29th season as head coach of the Hays Larks. Leo is a former Larks player who also played at the University of Albuquerque and Fort Hays State University. While playing for Fort Hays, Leo was an all-conference and NAIA District 10 selection. After completing his bachelor's degree in 1972, Leo served as an assistant coach for the Tigers. This spring, Leo completed his 32nd year of teaching and his 27th year as the baseball coach at Hays High School. Under Leo, the Indians have won 10 Western Athletic Conference titles and made nine appearances in the Class 5A State Championships. He guided the team to a third-place finishes in 1989 and 1996 and runner-up finishes in 1990 and 2000. Leo was named Class 5A Coach of the Year in 1994 and was named Kansas Coach of the Year and Region V National Coach of the Year in 1998. Earlier this year, Leo was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame. Under Leo's guidance, the Larks have won the NBC Midwest Regional six times (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001) and have made 16 trips to the NBC World Series to go along with five Jayhawk League titles (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006). The Larks finished second in the season finale in 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2007; fourth in 1990, 1996, and 2006; fifth in 1985, 1997 and 2003; ninth in 2002 and 2005; and 10th in 1986. In 1991, Leo was the head coach of the USA Junior Pan American team that won the gold medal in Vera Cruz, Mexico. Leo and his wife Barb have three daughters and a son-in-law: Lindsey, Gina, Abby, Doug, grandson Dylan, and granddaughter Elle.

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