6/4/2023 baseball Edit

UCF pitcher Cam Leiter transferring to FSU with his eyes set on Omaha

UCF's Cam Leiter made the all-freshman team and had 80 strikeouts in 2023. (UCF sports information)

Curt Weiler • TheOsceola

Senior Writer

Fresh off being an All-American Athletic Conference freshman pitcher, Cam Leiter will transfer from UCF to FSU, he announced on Sunday night.

When Leiter entered the portal after UCF head coach Greg Lovelady was dismissed at the end of the season, he says he inundated with upwards of 80 calls from a group of schools mainly in the ACC and SEC.

Through that chaos of teams trying to recruit him, the Seminoles quickly stood out to Leiter during his second recruitment, even though he's not a Florida native, originally hailing from Bayville, N.J. before enrolling at UCF last summer.

"They were on a school that was on my radar before I truly entered the portal. I was thinking about what schools I should think about choosing and FSU was a school I was considering," Leiter said of FSU. "I think the biggest thing that stood out to me was just the amount that I felt like they wanted me. It felt like they wanted me the most and I felt like they needed me in a sense with who is coming back and the impact that they think I can make and I feel like I can make."

The 6-foot-4 right-hander led UCF with 80 strikeouts, 31 of which came in his final three 5+ inning starts. Leiter (3-2) pitched in 15 games (14 starts) and had a 4.92 ERA in 56.2 innings, giving up 41 walks.

However, that ERA is not a true testament to how his season played out. Over his first seven appearances spanning 21.2 innings, he posted an 8.72 ERA. Over his final eight appearances of the season, he allowed just 10 earned runs over 35 innings for an ERA over that span of 2.57.

"For me, it was just kind of a whole process..." Leiter said. "My first two starts didn't go the way I wanted. My third start, I got really banged up and then I had a 10.12 ERA after the third week of the season and it's hard not to think about your stats at that point because you're not helping your team win which is the biggest thing to me. I care about winning."

Some of Leiter's best outings came in May. He recorded 11 strikeouts in back-to-back weekend starts at Tulane (May 7) and Cincinnati (May 13). Leiter also tossed seven shutout innings in the AAC Tournament against Cincinnati (May 23), striking out nine while allowing only four hits and one walk.

"Going through that whole experience, I'm super happy it happened because I was able to bounce back and I did learn and I found what I needed to do to succeed," Leiter said. "I think it's going to help me dominate next year and the year after that."

In his first season in a college weightlifting program, Leiter added some velocity to his fastball. He went from sitting 91 through 94 early his freshman season to sitting 93 through 96 and even touching 97 as the season progressed.

Leiter and FSU pitching coach Chuck Ristano have already talked some about how he can take Leiter's stuff to another level of execution.

"Pretty big-time fastball that plays well. I'm a big, long, lanky dude who gets really good extension so the ball gets on hitters. My curveball is a very good pitch that I'm learning to use to the best of my capabilities. It just kind of came on this year where I would say my curveball is my best strikeout pitch. It sets up my fastball," Leiter said of his skill-set. "Me and Chuck have talked about expanding my four pitches and using all four pitches more instead of just relying on the fastball/curveball. We're looking to expand to use all four pitches and really just attack all quadrants of the zone."

Leiter will arrive at FSU this summer with MLB bloodlines. His dad, Kurt, pitched at Oklahoma State and in the Baltimore Orioles' organization. His uncles, Al and Mark, pitched in the majors. One cousin, Mark Leiter Jr., pitches for the Chicago Cubs. Another cousin, Jack Leiter, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft by the Texas Rangers.

Leiter saw the season the Seminoles had in year one under Link Jarrett. However, he also saw what Jarrett and his staff accomplished at Notre Dame and is well aware of his track record of winning as a head coach. That has convinced Leiter of FSU's ability to manufacture a quick turnaround from this year's struggles.

"They are winners. They took Notre Dame to the College World Series, which is very hard to do at a high-academics school in the cold weather," Leiter said of the FSU coaching staff. "You take them to a College World Series, that stands out in my mind. I just think he's a winner and we're going to go to Omaha and compete for a national championship."

Leiter is the fifth player to transfer to FSU over the last week. Along with North Florida's Alex Lodise and Alabama's Max Williams, Leiter is the third UCF player to transfer to the Seminoles along with former and now future teammates Jacob Marlowe and Drew Faurot.

"Faurot is my best friend, my best buddy. We really bonded over this year. He was my roommate (at UCF) and then when we went on the road, we roomed together. Me and Drew, any time we had we were together. I'm really close with him and his family, which was big in my decision," Leiter said. "I just try to have the best relationships I can with all my teammates. Me and Marlowe really work well and obviously, me and Drew are well connected. Those were two big factors in my decision."