UCF pitcher Cameron Leiter announces transfer to Florida State baseball; Seminoles 5th portal addition
Florida State baseball continues to welcome players from the transfer portal, acquiring its fifth transfer this offseason, and third from UCF, in freshman right-handed pitcher Cameron "Cam" Leiter.
Leiter announced Sunday via Twitter that he was committing to FSU after only one season with the Knights. At UCF, he pitched 56.2 innings, holding an ERA of 4.92 allowing 33 runs on 53 hits, walking 41, and striking out a team-high 80.
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Leiter notably had two games this season where he broke double-strikeout figures, punching out 11 batters in a 10-3 win over Tulane and a 12-4 win over Cincinnati. His record was 3-2. Leiter's efforts earned him a spot on the American Athletic All-Conference Freshman Team and was the D1 Baseball Preseason AAC Freshman of the Year.
He's originally from Bayville, New Jersey, graduating from Central Regional High School. In his senior season, he held an ERA of 0.89 over 47 innings pitched, allowing 16 runs on 21 hits, walking 21, and striking out 90, helping his team to the County Championship. He was a First team All-State selection and the Shore Conference Player of the Year.
Leiter's addition adds even more depth to an FSU pitching rotation that is young and competitive. The Seminoles ran 18 different arms this year, with Conner Whittaker pitching the most innings (79), Jackson Baumeister striking out the most batters (95) and Carson Armstrong owning the lowest ERA, with over 40 innings pitched (4.19 in 58).
His father, Kurt Leiter, played in the Baltimore Orioles for two years in the early 80s and played seven games with the Miami Marlins in 1986. Leiter comes from a long line of baseball players as his uncle Al Leiter played for 19 years in the MLB and his uncle, Mark Leiter, played for 11 years.
He also has two cousins, Mark Leiter Jr, who is currently pitching for the Chicago Cubs, and Jack Leiter, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Adding depth
Leiter is the fifth addition to a handful of FSU baseball transfers in just the last week.
UCF left-handed pitcher Jacob Marlowe announced on Friday that he was transferring to FSU.
The 6-foot, 175-pound pitcher is from Naples and was a sophomore last year. He went 3-6 with a 5.64 ERA in 19 appearances (eight starts) while striking out 41 and walking 12 in 60.2 innings.
On Thursday, three different players announced their intentions to transfer to FSU: Florida High alumnus and UCF shortstop Drew Faurot, UNF infielder Alex Lodise and Alabama outfielder Max Williams. That same day, current FSU player James Tibbs announced that he was returning to Tallahassee for his junior season.
Faurot, a 6-fot-3 shortstop known for his versatility, was a unanimous selection to the American Athletic Conference Freshman All-Conference Team. He started 57 games, hit .252, and had 51 RBI. He also set the freshman record for home runs with 16. He is also the son of former FSU baseball player Adam Faurot.
Lodise, a St. Augustine native was a first-team, All-ASUN selection last season as a freshman, hitting .306 with 51 runs, 67 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, and 63 RBI. Lodise set the UNF freshman single-season record for home runs, runs, and RBI. Defensively, he had a .928 fielding percentage.
Williams is also a Florida native, playing for Clay High School in Green Cove Springs. He made three starts this season as a freshman, appeared in 18 games, and hit .320 (25 at-bats).
The Seminoles went 23-31 this season in Link Jarrett's first year at the helm, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977.
FSU baseball transfer tracker:
Transfers in:
UCF shortstop Drew Faurot, SS (UCF)
Transfers out:
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: UCF pitcher Cameron Leiter becomes FSU baseball's 5th transfer portal addition
