Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – Right-handed pitcher Kevin Stevens, who pitched for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team from 2020-22, signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees organization on Tuesday.
Stevens will report to Tampa, which houses both the Yankees’ spring training complex and Single-A affiliate, in the coming days.
Stevens is looking to become the sixth alum to ever reach the major leagues as a player. Five have done it previously, including Dusten Knight, who made his debut with the Baltimore Orioles last season and has seen time with the Tampa Bay Rays this year, third baseman George Williams, who played for the Oakland A’s from 1995-97 and the San Diego Padres in 2000, catcher Dan Firova, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1981-82 and the Cleveland Indians in 1988, infielder Wayne Tyrone, who played for the Chicago Cubs in 1978, and outfielder Jim Tyrone, who played for the Cubs in 1972, 1974 and 1975 as well as the A’s in 1977.
A two-time All-WAC First Team and a 2022 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Central Region Second Team selection, Stevens went 9-2 with a 2.66 ERA this past season. In 81.1 innings, he racked up 100 strikeouts, tied for the 10th-highest single-season total in program history, while walking 29, allowing 69 hits, and holding opponents to a .230 batting average.
Stevens finished his career with 228 strikeouts, the sixth-highest total in program history.
For his career, Stevens went 18-7 with a 2.99 ERA. In 33 games and starts, he pitched four complete games, including two shutouts, and was a part of two one-hitters. In 195.2 innings, Stevens allowed 162 hits, holding opponents to a .226 batting average. He also issued just 56 walks, giving him better than a 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Stevens is one of five alumni known to currently be playing professional baseball along with Dusten Knight(2012-13), who has seen time in the majors with the Rays while spending most of the season with the Durham Bulls (AAA), Andy Atwood (2019-21), who is playing with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Single-A, Chicago White Sox), Christian Sepulveda (2019-21), who is playing for the ACL Angels (Rookie, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Freddy Rojas Jr. (2020-22), who is playing with the Boise Hawks (Pioneer League), and Conrado Diaz (2019-21), who is playing with Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.
