17 Jun 2020 Stone not stressed by MLB Draft

Last Thursday night, University of Central Arkansas pitcher Gavin Stone was about 15 minutes away from returning for another season at Bear Stadium.
But then he got “the call” from the Los Angeles Dodgers just before 10 p.m., setting a new course for his baseball career and his life going forward. 

Stone, a junior right hander from Lake City (Craighead County), was drafted by one of the iconic organizations in Major League Baseball in the fifth round. He was the 159th overall pick in the condensed version of the 2020 MLB Draft. There were just 160 picks in this year’s draft due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But Stone said he was not worried watching the early rounds of the draft with family members in Jonesboro and not hearing his name called. The reason? He figured he had two outstanding options waiting in front of him.

“No, not at all,” said Stone. “Just because either way I knew it was a good situation for me. I knew I was setting myself up for success either way. I’m thankful that the Dodgers selected me, and I’m also thankful for the opportunity I had if I didn’t get drafted to go back to UCA.”

Stone would have definitely carried some momentum into next season had he returned to the Bears. His final game at UCA, on March 6, was a no-hitter in which he struck out a career-high 13 batters and walked just one. It resulted in a 2-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana on the opening weekend of Southland Conference play, a series the Bears won 2-1.

Stone faced one batter over the minimum and struck out eight of the nine SLU starters at least once. His only walk of the game came in the fifth inning and he retired the final 14 batters after that, including a strikeout to end the game, which lasted a tidy 2 hours and 11 minutes. 

Stone, used out of the bullpen as a sophomore, was one of the best starting pitchers in the SLC this season, going 3-1 with a 1.30 earned-run average. He struck out 31 and walked just six batters. Those numbers, along with what UCA head coach Allen Gum called “an outstanding makeup,” caught the eye of numerous MLB scouts, many of who were in attendance on March 6 for just the third no-hitter in UCA history.

With the usual uncertainty that is the major league draft – and even more so this season with it reduced from 40 rounds to just five – Stone said he had no idea if his name would be called or by which organization. But it also didn’t matter.

“It’s certainly nerve-wracking,” said Stone, who recorded 109 strikeouts and had a 2.42 ERA over his three-year UCA career. “But to see your name come across the screen is an overwhelming feeling., so I was pretty pumped about that.

“The Dodgers called me at the beginning of the fifth round so I knew there was a possibility. They were one of the first teams to contact me in the fall, so there was some history there. I wasn’t too stressed about it. Because either way, if I got drafted or I didn’t get drafted, I was still in a great situation. I wasn’t too worried about it, but I was lucky to get my name called. That felt good.”

Stone, UCA’s fourth pitcher to be drafted in the last four seasons, said he definitely had no preference as to an organization, but is more than happy with the Dodgers, who have five World Series titles in their long and storied history.

“I know their player development is really incredible, and that’s what I’m looking forward to the most,” he said.

That same player development was a key for Stone, who got better and better each year at UCA, and even since the season ended abruptly, according to Gum.

“His ceiling is off the charts,” said Gum. “I think the Dodgers are getting an even better player than what they think they are.”

Stone said the no-hitter was an obvious highlight of his UCA career, but not necessarily any more cherished than the everyday relationships he made at UCA.

“I really didn’t think it would happen,” said Stone. “Coach (Nick) Harlan said he saw something in my warmup and he thought it would be a good day. After the seventh inning, I thought it might be a possibility, but we were up 2-0 and it wasn’t really on my mind. I was just worried about us getting the win. Especially in a close game like that, you can’t think about a no-hitter, you just have to grind it out and get the win.

“That was the first no-hitter I’d ever thrown. I was pumped but I really didn’t know how to feel because it was so surreal. But the thing I’ll remember most about that game was my teammates running up to me after the game, they were all so excited about it. That made it really special.”

Gum, in his 10th year as UCA’s head coach, described Stone as the ultimate teammate.

“I think that should be important to any athlete on a team,” said Stone. “Teammates are what get you through the fall, the workouts, the season. You grind with them every day and you have to build great relationships to be able to bear with the pressure and the workload that college baseball brings. And all those guys are my best friends so it’s easy to be a good teammate to them.

“The best thing about UCA was the friendships I’ve built with all those guys. My coaches, how they supported me and grinded through with me. Just all those relationships.”

Gum said Stone’s emotional makeup may be as valuable as his athletic ability and pitching prowess.

“He is just the same guy all the time,” said Gum. “He’s just a very emotionally stable, mature young man. He’s fun to be around but he is also an unbelievably hard worker. And he will definitely make you smile every day.”

“I don’t like to show emotions and give the other team an advantage. whether it’s excited or sad or whatever,” said Stone. “I’m a big believer in karma, and if I get too pumped the baseball gods can humble me really quick. We can celebrate after (the game).”

Stone, a two-time All-Academic selection, compared his no-hitter to the 2020 MLB draft.

“Last night was similar to the no-hitter,” he said. “The no-hitter really hit me a little later, kind of like I’m sure this (draft) is going to.”