Butler graduate, Grove City College pitcher David Leslie earns All-American baseball honor
The path to success sometimes requires a pivot, one that David Leslie executed with striking results.
In the fall of 2020, Leslie, then a senior at Butler High School, attended a baseball showcase with college scouts at Pullman Park.
“I went there as a catcher and after I was done with that, I thought my day was over,” he said. “It was my dad (Brad Leslie), who urged me to take the mound. I had dabbled in pitching here and there, but it was never my focus.
“Some of the scouts liked my potential, and all of the attention I got from colleges after that was because of my pitching.”
A number of schools showed interest in him and he decided on Grove City College.
Leslie recently closed his collegiate career with a banner senior season. He went 9-2 with a 2.05 ERA in 12 starts for the Wolverines. That performance led to a number of honors — All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference First Team, All-Region VII First Team and NCAA Division III Fourth Team All-American as named by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
“It’s nice to get those awards, but at the end of the day, I’ve never played baseball to reach individual goals,” Leslie said. “I just wanted to do my job and help my team win.”
GCC head coach Matt Royer said Leslie became the rock of the pitching staff.
“He was our No. 1 guy and everybody on the team knew that when David took the mound, we had a great chance to win that day,” he said.
Thanks in large part to Leslie’s prowess on the mound, Grove City turned in a historic season. The Wolverines won the PAC title for the first time since 2008, reached the NCAA tournament for just the second time ever and finished with a record of 31-13, the most wins in a single season in program history.
“Everyone was working individually to help the team,” Leslie said. “We were pushing each other, and to win that conference title, there’s nothing better.”
But his baseball career did not end in a GCC uniform. Leslie is currently in Morgantown, W.Va., pitching for the West Virginia Black Bears of the MLB Draft League, which features draft-eligible players aiming to improve their stock ahead of next month’s draft.
Roster spots in the six-team league are by invitation only.
“I’ve been in contact with scouts from 12 major league teams and that’s how I got invited to play,” Leslie said. “Making it to the pros is every ball player’s dream, and yeah, I thought about it as a kid.”
Leslie overcame two physical setbacks since high school. The first was Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2021, which wiped out his freshman season at Grove City.
Then, after going 6-3 in 11 starts as a sophomore, he missed the first half of his junior season with a bicep injury.
“When he came back, we brought him along slowly,” Royer said. “We had him out there for an inning, then two innings. We needed to build his pitch count up before he could start.
“He made just three starts as a junior, but the last came in a conference tournament game against Allegheny (a 6-0 win) and he looked great, looked 100%. That’s when I knew he was back.”
Leslie worked seven innings that day, struck out 10, walked none and held the Gators scoreless on just two hits.
This season, he fanned 84 batters in 74.2 innings and hitters batted a meager .178 against him.
“When I was a sophomore, I really wasn’t comfortable with throwing inside on guys,” he said. “This year, I was effective throwing away and in and having command of my pitches made a big difference for me.
“I threw a change-up, but not too much. I mostly relied on my fastball and curveball. I throw my curve faster than most pitchers and it deceives a lot of hitters.”
Leslie left Grove City ranked second in program history in single-season wins (9), third in career winning % (.772, 17-5) and fourth in career strikeouts (201). He said he is prepared for either outcome, drafted or not. He graduated with a degree in biochemistry.
“I actually feel less pressure now than I did pitching in college,” he said. “The way I see it, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m a Division III pitcher and chances like this don’t happen often for guys like me.
“Every player has a last game to play. If baseball works out for me, great. If it doesn’t, I’ll be OK with that, too.”
