This article was originally published April 19. It was updated May 23.
No one inside UConn’s Elliot Ballpark expected UMBC freshman first baseman Leewood Molessa to put on the power display he did.
In a nonconference series against the Huskies, the Retrievers were in Storrs, Conn., to make a statement. Molessa certainly did so with his bat, launching a solo home run well more than 400 feet to right-center in the series opener.
That March 31 game was far from the first time the freshman has turned some heads, and his emergence on the college baseball scene has caught the attention of many.
“It’s been a welcoming experience,” Molessa said. “This fall, the coaching staff really invested in me and a lot of the other guys that came in here to really try and better our baseball program. Their investment in the team and the guys that we have right now has been really important. … I wanted to play college baseball. I was looking for a place that would give me the opportunity.”
The start of Molessa’s baseball career coincided with football. Born and raised in Pullman, W.V., he attended Williamstown High School, home of a three-time state champion football team that is among the best in the state year in and year out.
However, it was baseball that emerged for him despite missing the majority of two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries.
He went under the radar of most college programs … except for UMBC.
“You can’t have enough guys that are electric competitors, great teammates, hard workers and have physical tools that point toward success,” UMBC head coach Liam Bowen said. “We’re always in the business of getting those guys. He just stood out as outstanding in all the intangible qualities, and the tangible qualities were pretty good, too.
“Honestly, it really wasn’t a hard decision for us. I know he had been overlooked in the recruiting process because of a choppier background, but by the time it came down to what we were going to do with him, it wasn’t a long conversation.”
In his transition from football to baseball, Molessa slimmed down and got himself into a healthier body type for the sport. The change has benefited him since playing for the Retrievers.
His season stats are among the best on the team and in the America East Conference. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound first baseman slashed .300/.366/.594 with 16 home runs, 14 doubles and 46 runs scored to earn America East Rookie of the Year honors. He set a UMBC single-season record with 65 RBIs.
Molessa has some of the best raw power in the America East and has already hit some moonshots for the Retrievers. His immediate success to begin his college career has taken everyone, including the coaching staff, by surprise.
“He’s a pretty advanced power hitter for a younger player, but he’s more than that,” Bowen said. “He’s a better athlete than I think people give him credit for. He’s a really good competitor and a high IQ guy. It’s been really fun to just watch him learn Division I baseball and I feel like he picks something up out of each at-bat. Every week, he gets a little bit better.
“When he catches one flush, it’s going a long way, but he’s a more well-rounded player. … We thought he would be really good. We thought his ceiling was really, really high. I think we’re all pleasantly surprised with how quickly it’s happened.”
Molessa had the opportunity to face high-end arms with nonconference foes like the College of Charleston, UConn and Maryland. League play got underway in mid-March, and he is finding more confidence at the plate as the season moves along.
Continued improvement is nothing new for Molessa.
“I think it was just a culmination of things as we went,” Molessa said of his development. “Our mentality was to always get one percent better every day and I thought that if I continued to do that, I would have a chance to play college ball at some level and that I would be able to compete there.
“I’m a firm believer of you get out what you put in. I’ve spent a lot of time and a lot of hours working on various things inside and outside of the sport. It’s helped me mentally be able to be really confident at the plate and I think that’s the biggest thing in baseball. Whenever you’re confident, that helps you play better.”
Molessa has definitely gotten a lot out of this season, and it’s still far from over as the Retrievers have their sights set on hardware at season’s end considering how wide open the America East is.
Molessa has kept the same hard-nosed mentality since the beginning of the season and is not one to focus on accolades or individual accomplishments. It’s all about competing for the ultimate prize this spring. The America East tournament takes place at Binghamton in late May, and the winner earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Retrievers last earned a bid in 2017.
“I just like to set goals,” Molessa said. “I’m a very goal-oriented person. We’re chasing that conference championship as a team and whatever I can do to help the team get there, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Photo Credit: Pamela Cowart-Rickman