Baylor Baseball Adds James Leverton as Pitching Coach
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball head coach Mitch Thompson announced Friday the addition of pitching coach James Leverton to his staff.
Leverton, a former assistant under Thompson at McLennan Community College, returns to Waco after most recently serving as the pitching coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
“I am thrilled to bring James Leverton on to the staff as our pitching coach here at Baylor,” Thompson said. “I’ve known James for a long time, and I am certain he fits in perfectly to the vision of what we’re trying to accomplish. James is an excellent talent evaluator, a relentless recruiter, and an even better pitching coach on a day-to-day basis. He is a rising star in college baseball, and I can’t wait to see the success he has as a Bear.”
Leverton joined the Trojans’ staff after spending six seasons with Thompson at MCC, where he was part of three conference championships, a pair of NJCAA World Series appearances and the 2021 NJCAA National Championship. After being promoted to pitching coach from volunteer assistant in 2019, Leverton mentored eight all-conference pitchers, three Pitchers of the Year and a pair of second-round Major League Baseball draft picks in Josh Breaux and Connor Phillips. In his final season with MCC, Leverton worked side-by-side with Logan Henderson, the 2021 NJCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year.
In 2022, Leverton polished Little Rock ace Hayden Arnold to second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors and saw his staff rack up 385 strikeouts and allow just 269 walks across 442 total innings. Arnold led the Trojans with a 3.14 ERA and punched out 86 in 94.2 innings of work.
“I’m very excited to join the Baylor Family,” Leverton said. “I want to thank Coach Thompson for the opportunity to work at such a historic program. My wife and I couldn’t be happier to be back home in Waco. We can’t wait to see everyone at the ballpark in 2023. Sic ‘Em!”
Prior to his time coaching, Leverton spent seven seasons in the minor leagues with the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins organizations. In 2013, he reached Triple-A with the Marlins’ affiliate New Orleans Zephyrs as part of his four-season stint with the franchise from 2011-2014. Previously, he spent three years in the Cubs system and was a 2010 MiLB All-Star with Chicago’s Double-A affiliate Tennessee Smokies.
Leverton was an eighth-round draft pick in 2008 out of Texas Tech, where he played three seasons as a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman. He led the Red Raiders’ pitching staff in ’08 with a 3.86 ERA in 31 relief appearances and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors as a first baseman in ’07.
A native of Rockwall, Texas, Leverton received his bachelor’s degree in general studies from Texas Tech through McLennan’s University Center in 2016. He and his wife, Casey, are expecting their first child in January 2023.