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PBR catches up with recent Vandy commit Luke Stephenson

August 31, 2011

PBR recently caught up with our 2012 No. 1 ranked prospect Luke Stephenson. Stephenson is heading into his senior year at Triton Central High School. He is a 6'3 right handed pitcher that recently committed to play baseball at Vanderbilt University. Luke has quickly seen his stock rise throughout his junior year. Luke was somewhat of an unknown heading into the fall. He was a tall projectable right that was anywhere from 84-87. Every time I saw him though, he picked up a mile per hour. Again during the spring, we saw him at 86-88 and he was able to carry his velocity throughout the game. It all culminated this summer, when in a summer game for the Indiana Prospects he touched 93 and consistently sat anywhere from 89-91. Luke cemented himself as the number one player in the state and became one of the few 2012 Indiana players with the ability to be drafted.
 
Luke is also an exceptional student and a great kid. I have yet to meet anyone with a negative thing to say, whether it is a summer coach, a scout, his high school coach, or a fellow player. Sometimes you walk away from seeing a kid and question whether or not he will succeed. Luke Stephenson is not this type of player. The more you get to know him the more you root for him and the more you are convinced he will succeed in anything he does. I am excited to see him develop. Read below to see the full interview with Luke.
 
 
 

PBR: What schools were you considering?

Luke: During this process I was considering Vanderbilt, Virginia, Purdue, Duke, Indiana and Georgia Tech.

 

PBR: Why did you choose Vanderbilt?  
 
Luke: I felt that Vanderbilt had everything that I wanted in a school both academically and athletically.  I was impressed with the campus as well as the coaching staff and athletic facilities.  I liked the focus that Vanderbilt had on academics and how they balanced academics and athletics for student athletes.
 
PBR: Was it important to stay close home/travel? 
 
Luke: Staying relatively close to home was somewhat of an issue, and did play a factor in my decision. Vanderbilt is within easy travel distance for my family.
 
PBR: What role do the coaches expect you to play your first year on campus?
 
Luke: It is still too early to tell what my role will be on the team, however I will work hard and support the team in any way that I can.
 
PBR: What were your expectations about recruiting heading into the summer?
 
Luke: Going into this summer I really didn't know what I was getting into. I found out early on that the recruiting process moved very quickly and took up a lot of time for me, my coaches and my family.  I could not have done anything without the constant support of my Indiana Prospects coaches Mark Peters (New Albany), Ed Woolwine (Fishers) and Mark Peters (Carmel).  They did a great job of coaching me on both the recruiting process as well as baseball.
 
PBR: What is your biggest strength as a player and how do you feel that you will help Vanderbilt?  
 
Luke: As a player I feel that my biggest strength is my ability to learn and improve. I feel that with the great coaches at Vanderbilt I will continue to get better and develop my pitching talent.
 
PBR: How has travel baseball helped your development as a player?  
 
Luke: Travel baseball is a great opportunity to bring lots of talented players together to see what you are really made of.  It helped me to understand what it is going to take to pitch at the next level.
 
PBR: Who has had the biggest impact on you as a baseball player?
 
Luke: Many people have helped me over the years, but the most influential have been my Dad, Mark Stephenson, along with the coaches from the Indiana Prospects, Curt McIntosh of the Indiana Blazers, and Triton Central Coach Anthony Lowhorn.
 
PBR: What were your stats for this spring season at Triton Central?  
 
 
PBR: Who is the toughest pitcher/hitter that you have faced in Indiana?  
 
Luke: I try not to focus on a single player when I am pitching, however I have had to pitch against some extremely good hitters throughout school ball and travel ball.