“This is one of the greatest days of my life,” said Leichman, who led the Cougars with a .606 batting average.
He also was the team leader in home runs (7), one shy of the school record, as well as RBIs (41).
And first-year coach Ty Smallwood said Leichman, based on a new stat in baseball called runs created, was responsible for two-thirds of the team’s runs this season.
“This was my only season to coach Cody,” Smallwood said to an audience of EHS students, family and friends in the high school auditorium. “It’s been a joy. Schools always ask about academics when they are recruiting a player and that’s never been a question with Cody.
“Good students make good athletes,” he continued. “I’m excited for him to be going to the Big Ten.”
Former Edgewood coach Brian Caudill also was on hand for the signing.
“During his sophomore year, we went to play some baseball games at IU,” Caudill said. “Now he gets to play there permanently.
“The opportunity to coach Cody and watch him grow has been a great experience,” he continued. “I know he will make the adjustments and fit right in to their program.”
Leichman’s status is much like that of a preferred walk-on where he will have the opportunity to earn a scholarship.
“When I visited there, it just felt like home,” Leichman said. “They have a great program and Coach (Tracy) Smith is an awesome guy. I look forward to him being my coach.”
Leichman said he also considered Wright State, Miami and Heidelberg.
“The opportunity to play in the Big Ten is huge,” Leichman said. “It’s such high-quality baseball. It’s all I could ask for.”
Leichman then opened a miniature Coke bottle, took a drink and explained the reason behind it.
“A year ago, I was sitting in an ice cream parlor in Georgia with my summer ball coach Stefan Goldman,” Leichman said. “We were talking about colleges and I bought two Cokes. I drank one then and told him I would drink the other one when I signed.”
“Talent only takes you so far,” Goldman said. “Passion and commitment take you the rest of the way and Cody has that.”
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