LUKE STEVENSON, C - north carolina
Prospects Live Ranking - #10
A draft eligible sophomore, Stevenson has been a force to be reckoned with since joining the Tar Heels. From an offensive standpoint, it's a physical presence, premier bat speed, and all sorts of advanced batted ball data. Across all of Division I, Stevenson finished in or above the 90th percentile in hard hit rate, barrel rate, average exit velocity, and slugging percentage in 2024. Furthermore, Luke was very efficient against fastballs as he hit .303 with a .969 OPS this past spring. Although having 55 strikeouts, Stevenson led North Carolina with 48 walks, demonstrating his plate discipline and feel for the strike zone. Behind the dish, Luke is an excellent receiver with proficient framing skills while being an established blocker, especially as the season progresses. Though he threw out 20% of baserunners, he is not afraid to back-pick baserunners to keep them honest. Stevenson holds one of the highest baseball IQs in this incoming class, understanding situations and not allowing critical moments in a game overwhelm him. He checks just about all the boxes for teams considering him in the 2025 MLB Draft, and another successful season will establish him as a sure first-round pick.
https://goheels.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-stevenson/25471 -
High School
Ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in North Carolina by Perfect Game • Four-year letterwinner for coach Carlos Varela at Wake Forest High School • 2023 Prep Baseball Report North Carolina Player of the Year • 2023 Max Preps and Perfect Game First Team All-America • 2023 North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association 4A Player of the Year • Selected as the 2023 4A Northern Athletic Conference Player of the Year • Led WFHS to the NCHSAA 4A East Region title and runner-up finish at the state championship finals series • Posted a slash line of .529/.646/1.313 with 17 home runs, 11 doubles and 58 RBIs, leading the state in home runs and RBIs.
Recruiting Luke Stevenson out of Wake Forest High School, assistant coaches Jesse Wierzbicki and Bryant Gaines knew how special he could be.
“We have to have this guy,” they said to head coach Scott Forbes.
Forbes listened, and the first-year catcher has quickly become one of UNC’s most prolific hitters. Ranking fifth on the team in batting average and RBIs, Stevenson is one of six players to have started every game for UNC so far this season.
Stevenson broke out in a big way this week — totaling 12 RBIs through five games, including three in UNC’s series-clinching game against Princeton on Saturday. In just his third week of collegiate baseball, the former No. 9 overall prospect in North Carolina according to Perfect Game showcased the speed, power and arm talent that the coaching staff knew they were getting when he came to Chapel Hill.
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