/Photo by Timothy Chapman
UTRGV vaquero and baseball pitcher Kevin Stevens is now in Tampa FL. to start his training after he was drafted by the New York Yankees, and signed to the team on July 13 2022.
Stevens played for the UTRGV baseball team for the last three years and would go on to achieve great things. He mentioned how baseball was never even his first choice when he was growing up as he was playing every sport out there. But it wasn’t until he picked up a baseball that his talents began to shine.
“In high school when I really started pitching, it kinda all just came together full circle,” said Stevens. “But when I really started picking baseball over every other sport I was playing, that was my ultimate goal was to be a professional athlete.”
Stevens said that once he found out about UTRGV, he wasn’t sure about this school or how far it could take him, but he was willing to take a chance on the team that was just as willing to take a chance on him.
“When I first got here, I didn’t really know what to expect, I was just trying to play division one baseball. but UTRGV gave me that opportunity and then let me develop as a player, the person I am now and ultimately got me to be a Yankee”
Head Coach Derek Matlock was one of the key individuals responsible for giving Stevens an opportunity to play for the UTRGV baseball team.
“I reached out to him one day and was like ‘hey I’m looking for a place to play’, he pretty much just gave me a chance and I just ran with it,” said Stevens.
Coach Matlock has been by Stevens’ side since the very beginning of his journey, and he acknowledges the improvements Stevens has made since becoming a player for the team.
“I mean he came in as an 80-87 mile an hour guy. Came in with no breaking ball and now he has an outstanding breaking ball. Just a really good guy that has really matured and gotten better every year, really hard worker, extremely hard worker.”
When asked if Coach Matlock believed Stevens needed any more advice now that he is on his way to the big leagues, he said how impressive it was for how quickly Stevens learned the game and perfected his craft as a pitcher.
“If he goes in and does what he’s capable of doing, then his chances of being moved up to the big leagues in two years is pretty big and being traded he’s going into the big leagues for another club especially the Yankees are pretty pitching heavy,” said Matlock.
The future looks bright for Kevin Stevens
“To sign outside of the 20 rounds as a 24 year old that’s really hard to do, he’s already been invited, him in instructs so that’s huge that’s hard to be a non drafted guy and go to instructs, that means that saw something in you that they really liked, when you throw a ball at 99 miles an hour that’s probably gonna do that for you.”
This is Timothy Chapman for Vaquero Radio.
