With an arsenal of pitches — including a slider called “dangerous” and a “wicked fast ball” — Jonathan Stevens was named Pitcher of the Year this summer by his team, Bethesda Big Train.
Big Train rode a powerful win streak all the way to the championship game of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League and won that game 12–3 in July.
In the regular season, Stevens had a 1.42 ERA for the Maryland team. He threw 34 strikeouts and had three wins and a save. In the postseason, he had four more strikeouts.
During the school year, Stevens pitches for the University of Alabama. He attends Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa and grew up at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham.
‘Extremely hard working’
“Jonathan Stevens, wow, just a nice Southern guy who came in and wanted to work, wanted to get better, had a purpose,” said Manager Sal Colangelo, according to the Big Train website. “His purpose was to get a bunch of innings, really pound the strike zone, work on his slider so he can help Alabama win. He came in and he threw 94 to 97 mph every game. He’s extremely hard working and dedicated.”
During an extra-inning win over the Alexandria Aces on July 7, Stevens struck out three straight batters with bases loaded.
He said he was honored to receive the team’s top pitching honor.
“Winning pitcher of the year is a great honor and I’m thankful I was selected,” Stevens said. “Just having a lot of in-game reps helped refine my pitching overall. I had great coaches as well who adjusted small things that made a big impact. It was a great experience to be here and have the opportunity to compete.”
After his season with Big Train, he went on to end his summer pitching for the the Bourne Braves as part of the Cape Cod Baseball League in Massachusetts.
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