Baseball player John Stevens signs with Cal State San Marcos

Baseball player John Stevens signs with Cal State San Marcos

Irvine Valley sophomore pitcher John Stevens has signed with NCAA Division II Cal State San Marcos.

Stevens, a 6-0, 165-pound right-hander, was named second team all-Orange Empire Conference for the Lasers this past season.

Stevens was one of the leaders of the pitching staff in his one season with the Lasers.

He led the team in innings pitched, strikeouts, ERA among starters, saves and tied for the team high in wins.

Stevens threw 97.0 innings with 62 strikeouts and a 3.62 ERA.

He finished with a record of 5-6 overall with two complete games and four saves.

Stevens had a 2-3 record in conference with two complete games and two saves. He pitched 54.1 innings with 27 strikeouts and a 2.98 ERA in conference action.

Stevens came through in the Lasers' biggest win of the season.

Irvine Valley defeated Orange Coast, 5-3, in the final game of the regular season. The conference victory moved IVC into the Southern California Regional Playoff picture. OCC was ranked No. 2 in the state at the time.

Stevens ended up going the distance, throwing his second complete game of the season. Stevens gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits and he changed speeds well to strike out nine batters.

Stevens, who played high school locally at Woodbridge High in Irvine, helped the Lasers finish with a record of 19-24 overall and 6-15 in the tough Orange Empire Conference in 2017. Irvine Valley still made the playoffs and won its first game, beating Chaffey, 11-2, on the road.

He is headed to a Cal State San Marcos program that finished with a record of 17-33 overall last season.