He instead chose to attend college, and played four seasons with Seton Hall, helping the Pirates to the 2001 Big East Conference baseball tournament title, and a pair of NCAA Division I Baseball Championship appearances.
With Trimper's departure for Maine, Leighton was elevated to head coach, after just four years as an assistant.
In his first season, the Jaspers won the MAAC Tournament and advanced to regional final the NCAA tournament, resulting in Leighton being named the American Baseball Coaches Association Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 2006.
[1] This table shows Leighton's record as a head coach at the Division I level.
Conference tournament champion # denotes interim head coach