A Radford University legend is headed into the Big South Hall of Fame as the conference office announced Friday morning that baseball alumnus Phil Leftwich will be a member of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
Leftwich (1988-90) departed Radford with 13 school pitching records at the conclusion of his career. A Lynchburg, Va., native, Leftwich was Radford’s first all-conference and all-state pitcher. He helped Radford’s young baseball program turn the corner, leading the Highlanders to their first winning season in 1989. Leftwich was 7-2 with a 2.88 ERA for the 27-19 Highlanders that year, in only their fifth season of varsity play. Overall, he was 19-14, pitching 25 complete games and 265 innings from 1988-1990.
In 1988 and 1989, Leftwich was named to the Big South first-team all-conference and was later named to the 1980’s all-decade team. After the 1990 Big South Tournament, he was one of the first Highlanders named to the All-Tournament team. Leftwich’s 10 single-season and 25 career complete games still stand as Radford program records to this day.
At the conclusion of his collegiate career at Radford, Leftwich became the Angels’ top selection in the 1990 Major League draft where he was taken in the second round. He became the first Radford athlete in the major leagues when he joined the California Angels in 1993.
Leftwich was inducted into Radford Athletics’ Hall of Fame inaugural class in 1995 and will become the 13th Highlander to be enshrined in the Big South Conference Hall of Fame.
