Podcast alert: Nobles coach Rob Murray talks ISL prospects, Ben Rice

Nobles coach Rob Murray joined host Dan Guttenplan on the New England Baseball Journal Podcast. (Chris Jastrzembski)

Rob Murray took over as the Noble and Greenough School baseball coach in 2013 and has since helped turn the program into one of the model outfits in the Independent School League.

Murray recently joined the New England Baseball Journal Podcast to talk about his process for culture-building and share how he led a team of prep schoolers through a pandemic.

Murray’s Nobles squad managed to play 24 games this spring, finishing 16-8. Nobles has three Division 1 commits returning next season — Michigan commit Marc Willi, Villanova commit Jake Bollin and Pitt commit Matt Travisano.

“Marc’s progression in the last two to three years has been amazing,” Murray said. “Instead of just mashing, he hits to all fields. His defense has gotten a lot better. Jake is a big, strong kid with a tremendous arm. His receiving is so much better than it was as a freshman. Matt’s a stud. He’s a tremendous athlete and a tremendous competitor.”

Of the players Nobles faced in the ISL, Murray was most impressed with Tabor Academy pitcher Sean Sullivan, a Northwestern University commit, and Milton Academy shortstop Sam McNulty, a BC commit.

“The best pitcher we faced was Sullivan,” Murray said. “He was tough. Not only did he throw well, he was a very competitive kid. McNulty was really good as well. Day after day in the ISL, you’re going to face top talent.”

Murray is also an associate scout for the Texas Rangers. The former Ithaca College baseball player earned that opportunity in 2013 when a Rangers scout came to Nobles to scout St. George’s School standout Buddy Reed, who eventually played at University of Florida before going pro.

“I’m a pretty decent fungo hitter, and they saw me hitting,” Murray said. “They said they had to work out a guy in Rhode Island. Would I come down and hit fungos? After that, I was an associate scout. It’s nothing spectacular; I don’t get paid. It’s an opportunity to help the Rangers by scouting talent in New England.”

Murray also weighed in on the first Nobles alumnus to earn a selection in the MLB Draft, 2018 graduate Ben Rice. The Dartmouth College catcher was selected by the Yankees in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

“Ben’s had an interesting baseball career in terms of his progression through Nobles and then to Dartmouth,” Murray said. “He played JV for us as a freshman because he wasn’t physically mature at that point. He was 5-foot-9 as a freshman, now he’s 6-3. When he came to the varsity as a sophomore, he played a little third base, a little first, and he caught. As a junior, he started behind the plate. His senior year, everything clicked. He got bigger and stronger. He had a strong arm behind the plate and was a top bat as well. You could see everything started to click. He’s a tremendous worker with an unbelievable drive. He’s a great kid.”

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