By: Cat Martin, Contributing Writer
The Wofford baseball team experienced mixed emotions this year when they said goodbye to one of their starting pitchers, Luke Leftwich. The team was sad to lose such an important member but happy to see Leftwich leave to start a journey of his own into the big leagues. Leftwich was drafted in the 7th round by the Philadelphia Phillies.
When asked if he was excited about being drafted, he said, “Yeah! My family and I were watching the draft when my name came up, and I got the phone call saying that they picked me. We all celebrated; there was a lot of yelling and smiles.”
Leftwich is just one of quite a few in his family to enter the draft. His dad started thirty-four games pitching for the Los Angeles Angels from 1993 to 1996. His grandfather pitched for a total of six seasons in the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians.
“When I was a kid, knowing that they made it to the biggest stage in baseball was what inspired me to start playing…I know I will always have their support,” Leftwich says.
Leftwich’s family has played a big role in his baseball career. His sister, Brooke Leftwich, talks about what it was like growing up with him.
“From day one I was surrounded by baseball. My dad’s jersey is hanging in our hallway. I would find baseball cards of my grandpa and dad in kitchen drawers…I don’t play baseball, but I can’t imagine a life without it. Every weekend was a different baseball tournament, but it was a family affair that I looked forward to…Seeing my brother go through this process has been truly amazing, and I couldn’t be more happy for him.”
Baseball isn’t the only sport that catches Leftwich’s attention. Athletic blood seems to run thick in this family, as his two sisters both play Division I college soccer. Brooke, a sophomore this year, competes for Wofford while Brenna, also a sophomore, competes for Coastal Carolina. Leftwich checks in with his sisters on a regular basis.
“I do everything I can to watch the broadcasts online and check Twitter for the stats,” he says. “I just love to see how their games are going and keeping up with their results.”
His first season playing hard ball was spent with the Phillies’ minor league associate, the Williamsport Crosscutters, where he pitched a total of forty-five innings. Getting off to a good start, Leftwich struck out 34 batters in the 11 games he played. He also started nine of those 11 games.
Leftwich describes that the level of play in professional baseball is a lot tougher than that of collegiate baseball. He emphasizes how much of a role his Wofford coaches and team played in preparing him for it.
“Each player at this level is very talented and is a select group of individuals, and I am honored to play alongside of and against them,” he says. “But I really think that Coach Burke and Coach Interdonato got me ready to play at that level.”
Once Leftwich realized he had a future in the pros, his drive to achieve that goal only grew stronger.
“The ultimate goal is to have a long, successful career in the major leagues,” he says.
Next season, Leftwich will play for either the Lakewood Blue Claws or the Clearwater Threshers, both a part of the Phillies organization, and continue to focus on advancing in his career.
