Evanston, Illinois, is 340 miles from Avon, but Cody Stevens feels right at home.
Stevens, fresh out of college as a recent Northwestern grad, signed with the Lake Erie Crushers June 2. Though he’s five hours from his hometown of Glenview, Illinois, Stevens’ family is never too far.
Stevens’ older brother, Trevor, is also part of the Crushers’ infield, though he was placed on the seven-day disabled list June 9. Their father, Paul Stevens, was the head coach at Northwestern before retiring after Cody’s senior season this year. Right-hander Zach Morton, signed by Lake Erie June 12, also played at Northwestern from 2009 to 2013.
The Stevens brothers played together under their father for the Wildcats for three seasons, though injuries have impeded their time on the diamond together.
‘We’ve gotten a little chance here, then I showed up and he (Trevor) got hurt again,’ Cody Stevens said. ‘Maybe I’m his bad-luck charm. But it’s been fun. It’s nice getting some guys in here that you know and then you just kind of meet new people as the season goes along. You kind of just spread the kind of people you know in the game, and that’s always good.’
Though he has just two weeks’ experience with the Frontier League, Stevens has made a seamless adjustment. The infielder leads the Crushers with a .296 average, 8-for-27 through eight games.
‘I’m enjoying it,’ Stevens said. ‘It’s been fun so far. We kind of got thrown into the fire with that long road trip and most of the guys have been good so it’s kind of been a smooth transition from college coming here. It’s a little different getting a paycheck but that’s a good upside to it.’
Stevens noted similarities between the Frontier League and collegiate summer ball, which has made the adjustment easier.
‘It’s just baseball and you just go out there and have fun,’ he said.
Stevens’ approach at the plate has also remained the same from his college days. He doesn’t overthink, overswing or overcomplicate things.
‘I’m just trying to hit,’ he said. ‘It’s hard to explain hitting. It’s kind of just you see it and you hit and if you think about it, that’s when it starts going bad.’
The Crushers entered June 16 9-15 after struggling to score during a tough three-game stretch and seven-game home losing streak. The recent struggles haven’t fazed Stevens, who noted having family close helps him keep his head high. Stevens’ father has managed to see a handful of his sons’ games, especially with the Frontier League stretching into Illinois territory.
‘You always have ups and downs in this game and with your dad and your brother there, there’s always someone to be like, ‘Hey, this is one game or one at-bat,” Stevens said. ‘They’ll pick you up. They’re always there to help celebrate your highs but then you know you’ve got another game the next day or another at-bat 30 minutes later. It’s kind of staying level-headed and you’ve always got someone there who knows what you’ve been through and what you’ve gone through.’
On June 16, Stevens was 1-for-3 with a single as the Crushers defeated the Florence Freedom, 2-1, at home.
Florence struck early as Mason Salazar led off the game with a walk and scored on a double to left-center by Collins Cuthrell.
Lake Erie tallied seven hits, highlighted by a five-hit, two-run second inning.
Jose Barraza and Frank Desico led the inning off with consecutive singles before Ty Nelson delivered a one-out double to plate both runners for the 2-1 lead. Meanwhile, Lake Erie starter Brad Zambron tossed 4 1/3 innings, yielding one earned run on five hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
