Kevin Leighton

Kevin Leighton (born August 28, 1979) is an American baseball coach and former player, who is the current head baseball coach of the Fordham Rams. He played college baseball for the Seton Hall Pirates from 1998 to 2001.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] He served as the head coach of the Manhattan (2002–2005).

Kevin Leighton
Current position
TitleHead Coach
TeamFordham
ConferenceAtlantic 10
Record286–320–1
Biographical details
Born (1979-08-28) August 28, 1979
Brewster, New York, U.S.
Playing career
1998–2001Seton Hall
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2002–2005Manhattan (Asst.)
2006–2011Manhattan
2012–presentFordham
Head coaching record
Overall486–439–2
TournamentsA10: 7–8
NCAA: 2–4
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • Atlantic 10 Tournament (2019)

Playing career

After a successful high school career in Brewster, New York, Leighton was drafted in the 1997 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. He instead chose to attend college, and played four seasons with Seton Hall, helping the Pirates to the 2001 Big East Conference baseball tournament title, and a pair of NCAA Division I Baseball Championship appearances. Leighton earned his degree from Seton Hall in 2001, and would later add a master's degree from Manhattan College.[1]

Coaching career

After graduating, Leighton accepted an assistant coach position at Manhattan, serving under then-head coach Steve Trimper. With Trimper's departure for Maine, Leighton was elevated to head coach, after just four years as an assistant. He led the Jaspers to a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball tournament titles and NCAA Division I Baseball Championship appearances. In his first season, the Jaspers won the MAAC Tournament and advanced to regional final the NCAA tournament, resulting in Leighton being named the American Baseball Coaches Association Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 2006. Manhattan would repeat the performance in 2011, but fell in both NCAA tournament games. In his time at Manhattan, Leighton coached 51 All-Conference players and produced eleven professional players. On July 18, 2012, Leighton was named head coach at Fordham.[1]

Head coaching record

This table shows Leighton's record as a head coach at the Division I level.

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Manhattan (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) (2006–2011)
2006 Manhattan 34–2317–92ndNCAA Regional
2007 Manhattan 35–1921–52ndMAAC Tournament
2008 Manhattan 31–20–119–51stMAAC Tournament
2009 Manhattan 35–1818–61stMAAC Tournament
2010 Manhattan 31–2015–94thMAAC Tournament
2011 Manhattan 34–1920–21stNCAA Regional
Manhattan: 200–119–1
Fordham (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2012–present)
2012 Fordham 22–3412–128th (13)
2013 Fordham 22–338–1612th (15)
2014 Fordham 24–3013–147th (12)Atlantic 10 tournament
2015 Fordham 22–3213–117th (13)Atlantic 10 tournament
2016 Fordham 29–2914–105thAtlantic 10 tournament
2017 Fordham 27–2411–129th
2018 Fordham 35–19–116–82ndAtlantic 10 tournament
2019 Fordham 38–2215–94thNCAA Regional
2020 Fordham 8–60–0Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021 Fordham 24–1911–94th (Small)
2022 Fordham 16–369–1510th
2023 Fordham 19–367–1710th
Fordham: 286–320–1129–133
Total:486–439–2

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

    References
    1. "Kevin Leighton". Manhattan Jaspers. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
    2. 2013 Yearbook (PDF). Manhattan Jaspers. p. 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
    3. "2013 Baseball Coaching Staff". Fordham Rams. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
    4. "Kevin Leighton named Fordham coach". ESPN. July 18, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
    5. "Leighton takes over as head coach at Fordham". College Baseball Insider. July 18, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
    6. "Leighton takes over at Fordham". NCAA. July 18, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
    7. "Ex-Manhattan Jaspers Coach Kevin Leighton Moves To Fordham". CBS 2. July 19, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
    8. Dennis Waszak Jr. (June 2, 2011). "Upset-minded Manhattan ready for NCAAs, Florida". USA Today. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
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