Latest news with #LukeStevenson
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Seattle Mariners draft Luke Stevenson
Luke Stevenson watched his childhood dreams come true during Sunday's MLB Draft. Call him 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 😤Going to be rainin homers up there soon! #ProHeels | #TridentsUp Without Luke Stevenson behind the dish over the past two seasons, UNC doesn't get anywhere close to the College World Series. Stevenson, ranked as a Top 10 prospect coming out of Wake Forest (NC) High School in 2023, opted to play college baseball instead. Stevenson earned All-ACC Freshman honors in 2024, mashing .284 with 14 home runs, 58 RBIs and 48 walks – in 63 starts. Just two years later, the Tar Heels' star catcher watched his childhood dreams turn to reality. With the 35th overall pick in Sunday's MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners chose Stevenson. Stevenson continued to showcase his strong defensive abilities this past season, recording 476 putouts and 44 assists, all while committing just two errors en route to First Team All-ACC Honors. The offensive highlight of Stevenson's sophomore campaign came during North Carolina's third ACC Tournament Championship in seven seasons, as Stevenson recorded two hits and five RBIs across three games, en route to MVP honors. Stevenson ends his two-year North Carolina career with a .267 batting average, 33 home runs and 116 RBIs. Add in a .543 slugging percentage, 107 walks, 987 putouts and a .996 fielding percentage, Stevenson gives Seattle a well-rounded catcher tough to find in professional baseball. The Mariners have two starting-caliber catchers currently in the MLB, including Home Run Derby participant and MVP candidate Cal Raleigh. Seattle has two catchers amongst its current Top 20 prospects, Henry Ford (#5) and Josh Caron (#19), so Stevenson has plenty of time to prove he's MLB-ready. If I had to guess Stevenson's landing spot later this summer, he'll head to the Modesto Nuts, who are the Mariners' Single-A Affiliate. Vance Honeycutt, whom the Baltimore Orioles chose in the first round during 2024's draft, took the exact same route last summer. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers Predicted to Quickly Replace Dalton Rushing With Luke Stevenson
Dodgers Predicted to Quickly Replace Dalton Rushing With Luke Stevenson originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the 40th and 41st picks in the 2025 MLB draft. The Dodgers only have two supplemental first-round pick, with none in the first 27 picks because they exceeded the competitive balance tax threshold. Advertisement When looking at who they could select, recently predicted that they'd land on a catcher, which would be a somewhat questionable decision with Will Smith and Dalton Rushing now up. predicted them to draft Luke Stevenson, the 33rd-ranked prospect in the 2025 MLB draft. Stevenson, a catcher out of North Carolina, has shown off some big-time power in his bat. Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) hits a three-run home run in the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images 'Stevenson could have signed for top-five-rounds money as a North Carolina high schooler in 2023. He opted instead to stay local and play for the Tar Heels, claimed North Carolina's starting job as a freshman and slammed 14 homers before playing with the U.S. collegiate national team during the summer. He went deep 19 times this spring as a sophomore and is one of the best catching prospects available, though he comes with some questions about his hitting ability after posting a .251 batting average and 24 percent strikeout rate,' they wrote. Advertisement A Team USA alum, Stevenson did nothing but swing the bat at a very high level throughout his time at North Carolina. He's regarded as one of the top power hitters in the draft, and arguably the best catcher. If the Dodgers want to take the best player available at pick 40, there's reason to believe he could be the option. He only played in two seasons at North Carolina and hit 33 home runs, posting a .960 OPS. Related: Dodgers' Dave Roberts Gives Update on Tyler Glasnow's Return This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC baseball star mocked a late first-round pick in 2025 MLB Draft
UNC baseball star mocked a late first-round pick in 2025 MLB Draft Will Luke Stevenson go pro or stay in Chapel Hill for a third season? If not for several late-inning blunders in their Chapel Hill Super Regional, the North Carolina Tar Heels would be part of this year's College World Series field. UNC dominated Arizona in Game 1, 18-2, then lost 10-8 in Game 2. North Carolina's offense was virtually non-existent in Sunday's Game 3 loss, a 4-3 collapse, with the home team's only runs coming from a Jackson Van De Brake 3-run bomb. The Diamond Heels' bullpen struggled in Games 1 and 2, while Van De Brake committed a costly Game 3 error that shifted momentum. North Carolina should return most of its roster in 2025, but it'll have a much younger team. One star player UNC will miss is catcher Luke Stevenson, who – despite struggling in the Chapel Hill Super Regional – proved himself worthy of an MLB Draft selection. In USA TODAY Sports' latest 2025 MLB Mock Draft – ahead of the College World Series – which starts on Friday, June 13 at 1 p.m. with an Arizona-Coastal Carolina matchup, Stevenson is mocked 26th overall to the Philadelphia Phillies. "(He) does not possess the current offensive profile that (Auburn catcher Ike) Irish offers, but Stevenson is a pure catcher, with an athletic 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame that hit 19 homers for the Tar Heels this season," Gabe Lacques wrote. Stevenson hit for a career .267 batting average during his 2-year career as a Diamond Heel, collecting 117 hits, while mashing 33 home runs and driving in 116 runners. Though you may hear more about his offense, Stevenson is quite the defensive catcher, too, committing just four errors through 125 games. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC baseball gets Luke Stevenson replacement with transfer portal commitment
UNC baseball gets Luke Stevenson replacement with transfer portal commitment Can UNC's first baseball transfer portal commitment make an immediate impact in 2026? Georgia State transfer catcher Colin Hynek has committed to North Carolina. In 2025, he hit .230 with 18 HRs and 45 RBIs, leading the team in homers and ranking fourth in RBIs and total bases. He had a .586 SLG, .396 OBP, and 36 walks. — Chris Smith (@chrismithunc) June 7, 2025 The UNC baseball team is extremely lucky to have Luke Stevenson behind the dish, but his time in Chapel Hill is likely coming to an end after the current season. Stevenson, mocked to be a first-round pick in July's MLB Draft, is a do-it-all catcher. Stevenson is the Diamond Heels' top power source, mashing 19 home runs, while he's also a defensive stalwart with only two errors. With Stevenson likely gone in 2026, North Carolina needs an answer at catcher. UNC also carries Liberty transfer Macaddin Dye behind the plate, plus Juco transfer Rom Kellis, but wants to add another option. The Diamond Heels are hoping that their latest roster addition is their answer behind the dish. On Saturday, North Carolina secured a commitment from Georgia State transfer Colin Hynek, who started 105 of the 132 games he played in Atlanta. Like Stevenson, Hynek is also a power threat at the plate, mashing 33 home runs and driving in 91 runs across thre seasons. By coming to Chapel Hill, Hynek will have a significantly better shot at competing for a championship. Georgia State just completed a 26-30 campaign and hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2009, while UNC is playing in the Super Regional round for a second-consecutive season. If you're following recent transactions across college baseball, there's plenty of transfers already in the portal, particularly from the Virginia Cavaliers. The Diamond Heels will benefit from adding more starting pitching to their 2026 roster, while more hitting power couldn't hurt. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Associated Press
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Stokely, Stevenson combine for 9 RBIs and North Carolina routs Arizona 18-2 to open Super Regional
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Hunter Stokely drove in five runs, Luke Stevenson drove in four and North Carolina rolled to an 18-2 victory over Arizona on Friday to open the Chapel Hill Super Regional. Jake Knapp allowed two runs on nine hits in seven innings. He improved to 14-0 with a 2.02 ERA. Tom Chmielewski finished with two scoreless innings. The top-ranked and No. 5 national seed Tar Heels scored eight runs in the first two innings, three on Stokely's home run that made it a 5-1 game in the first inning. Stevenson's three-run home run in the second made it 8-1. Stokely added an RBI-single in the fourth and another in the eighth inning. Stevenson drove in North Carolina's first run back in the first inning. Sam Angelo hit a three-run home run in the eighth and Kane Kepley's solo home run later in the inning made it 18-2. Gavin Gallaher had four hits and scored three runs. Kepley and Jackson Van De Brake each scored four times for the Tar Heels. The first five batters in the order had 13 hits and drove in 12 runs. They scored 15 runs. Adonys Guzman drove in a run with a single in the first inning and Easton Breyfogle added a sacrifice fly in the fourth for Arizona's two runs. Owen Kramkowski (9-6) allowed eight runs in an inning and a third. North Carolina (46-13) is playing in a Super Regional for the 12th time, having advanced eight times previously. It is Arizona's sixth Super Regional and the Wildcats (42-19) have won four of their previous five Super Regionals. ___ AP college sports:
