Fans of the UNC baseball program won't be surprised one bit to hear that Luke Stevenson is off to a strong start within the Seattle Mariners organization.
The former Tar Heel has begun his professional baseball career with the Modesto Nuts, the Mariners' Single-A affiliate. He made his professional debut on Tuesday night, putting together a performance that shows why the Mariners took him with their first round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
While we often start talking about offense, let's focus on Stevenson's defense for a second! Runners learned quickly that they shouldn't test the former Tar Heel, as Stevenson threw a bullet down to second base to catch a base runner who was attempting to steal a bag.
Not the best camera work but Luke Stevenson throws out his first base stealer. pic.twitter.com/n43QfMeqT1
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 13, 2025
Batting second in Modesto's lineup, Stevenson's first at-bat is a memorable one, as he collected a double, one that isn't traditional by any way, shape or form!
It counts. Congrats Luke Stevenson on his first professional hit! pic.twitter.com/P4vBKRdnmf
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 13, 2025
I mean, it still looks the same in the box score!
Later on in his debut, Stevenson picked up another hit, earning his first MiLB RBI in the process, capping off an impressive professional baseball debut.
Stevenson picked up where he left off the following night, collecting two more hits, along with a walk, run scored and another RBI, helping Modesto secure a 6-4 victory.
After two seasons with the UNC baseball program, Stevenson is more than ready to take on the challenges of professional baseball. If Stevenson, the No. 10-ranked prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization according to MLB.com, continues to compete at the level he's played through his first two games, it won't be a surprise to see him quickly rise up the Mariners' farm system, eventually making his way to Seattle to help the big league club win some ball games.