January 25, 2023

Official Kitchener Panthers News Release

KITCHENER, Ont. - The Kitchener Panthers are proud to welcome back 2021 and 2022 IBL All-Star, Andy Leader (Kitchener, Ont.).

The 25-year-old is a fan favourite and an integral piece of the Panthers’ core. A product of Kitchener Minor Baseball, Leader will patrol centre field for his sixth season with the Panthers and look to build upon back-to-back All-Star selections in which he has proven to be one of the league’s top players.

Following a breakout 2021 campaign, Leader set career-highs in almost all offensive categories in 2022, batting .362 with six home runs, 35 RBIs, and 51 hits in 141 at-bats. His slugging percentage came in at .525 and on-base percentage at .416 for an OPS of .941 and his .362 batting average ranked seventh in the league. He was equally as impressive in the field as he made only one error.

Leader is a former collegiate standout with NJCAA D1 Colby Community College (Colby, Kansas) where he amassed a .348 batting average, 14 home runs, and 90 RBIs across two seasons. He then transferred to NCAA D1 Canisius College (Buffalo, NY) where he led the 2020 Golden Griffins in batting average, hits and total bases in his senior season.

Entering the 2023 season, Leader will continue to be relied upon as an impact player on the field and as a leader on the Panthers.

“We are very pleased to have Andy Leader back with us for the 2022 season,” said Panthers GM, Mike Boehmer. “Andy came up through the Kitchener Minor Baseball Association and has quickly developed into one of the IBL’s top outfielders. Andy is a five-tool player, and brings excitement to the ball park, whether he’s in the field, at the plate, or on the bases.”