2021 Baseball Roster
Jersey Number 8
Grant Leader
- Position:
- RHP
- Class:
- Freshman
- Height:
- 5-9
- Weight:
- 175
- Hometown:
- La Grange Park, Ill.
- High School:
- Lyons Township
Career Highs
- Innings pitched: 3.2, Ohio State, Mar 06, 2021
- Strikeouts: 6, at Indiana, May 18, 2021
- Walks allowed: 4, at Elon, Mar 08, 2020
- Batters faced: 15, Ohio State, Mar 06, 2021
- Field chances: 2, at Indiana, Apr 10, 2021
- Putouts: 1, 4 times - last Purdue, Apr 19, 2021
Freshman - 2021
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Pitched in seven games with one start
- 0-1, 14.29 ERA, 11.1 IP, 8 BB, 14 SO
- Recorded a career-high 6 SO at No. 25 Indiana 5/18/21
- First career start vs. Michigan 5/2/21
Freshman - 2020 (COVID-19 Shortened)
- Appeared in four games out of the bullpen
High School
- No. 3 right-handed pitcher in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report
- No. 94 right-handed pitcher in the nation by Prep Baseball Report
- No. 10 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report and No. 22 by Perfect Game
- No. 266 recruit in the nation by Prep Baseball Report and No. 497 by Perfect Game
- Three-year letterwinner
- Played for head coach Kevin Diete at Lyons Township
- 2019 Perfect Game Central Region All High-School first team
- 2017 Conference Pitcher of the Year
- 2017 Area Code Underclass Games
- 2017 USA Baseball 17U NTDP
- Three-time all-conference
- 2019 Lyons Township Athlete of the Year
- James Stevenson Memorial Award winner
- 65 strikeouts in 42 innings as a senior
- 8-3, 0.89 ERA, 90.1 IP, 144 SO between his sophomore and junior seasons
- Played with fellow Illini Xavier Watson (Area Code 2017), Kellen Sarver (Reds Scout Team 2016), Aidan Maldonado and Caleb Larson (Reds Scout Team 2017), Andrew Pogue and Brody Harding (Reds Scout Team 2018), Danny Doligale (Top Tier 2016-2018)
- National Honor Society
- Volunteered at Feed My Starving Children and Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Club
- Committed to Illinois on his 16th birthday
Personal
- Born Jan. 23, 2001
- Son of Eric and Anne Marie Leader
- Mother, Anne Marie, played tennis at Minnesota from 1986-90
- Older sister, Greta
- Plans to major in accounting or finance
- Plans to work on the business side of a baseball performance company following his playing career
- Chose Illinois over Northwestern, Michigan, Wake Forest, Duke, Houston, Saint Louis, and Iowa
- Chose Illinois because, "Illinois was the best combination of athletics and academics, and the coaching staff is phenomenal. It felt like home when I stepped on campus."
Illini Baseball | 03.18.25 Cinematic Recap vs. Indiana State
Wednesday, March 19
ILLINI BASE | Head Coach Dan Hartleb Availability (2/12/25)
Thursday, February 13
Illini Athletics | Week of Appreciation Coaches Video Dan Hartleb
Monday, December 09
Illini Baseball | Team IMPACT Signing
Friday, September 22
