Very few college athletes ever get the chance to play their sport at a professional level. Former Loyola pitcher Stephen Still got to make that dream a reality when he signed with the Grand Junction Jackalopes of the Pioneer Baseball League in May.
“It’s a really cool experience for me to transition to professional baseball from Loyola,” Still said. “I got to watch some of my baseball teammates do it and even guys outside of baseball do it like Myles Burns who went professional after winning a national championship here.”
The Baton Rouge native finished his career with the Wolf Pack with multiple school records, including the career wins record, career earned run average, and career strikeout record.
“Anytime one of our players is able to play professionally after college, it’s a great accomplishment for him and for our program,” said head coach Jeremy Kennedy. “Stephen is a home grown talent, a local guy who came here straight out of high school and was able to grow and develop to the point that he’s now getting paid for his baseball ability, which is a very cool thing.”
Still also earned All-Southern States Athletic Conference First Team honors three out of his four seasons at Loyola and credits the culture around the program for his success.
“My time at Loyola really helped me mature and realize that baseball was something I was truly passionate about and realize if I made it a priority, I could see a lot of success from it,” said Still. “Also the culture that Coach Kennedy and players before me helped to create allowed me to be myself and play without added pressure.”
His play also had a major impact on his teammates, recalled senior pitcher Brady Bowen.
“We were playing against Middle Georgia [State] in the conference tournament my sophomore year,” Bowen said. “Stephen started the game and pitched lights out. His energy that he brought to the game was contagious to everyone in the dugout. We needed him to get the job done and he did. After reaching a certain point in the game, I was called up to go in to close it out. It was nerve racking at first, but seeing how effective he was with not just his pitching, but his energy. It made me realize that having that kind of confidence for yourself and your teammates is what leaders like him do.”
And for senior catcher Landon Trosclair, it was a well-deserved moment for one of the leaders of the program.
“Stephen was a dominant starting pitcher for us for four years,” said Trosclair. “I caught him in our regional in the Cumberland’s in what turned out to be his last start. He threw a complete game against Bellevue to help us get the win that day. The last pitch of the game I ran to him in joy, and picked him up to celebrate. He has set a new standard for all pitchers going through this program.”
Across 16 appearances and 12 starts in the first three months of his professional career, Still has pitched a total of 73.1 innings and posted a record of four wins and four losses with an average of 12.6 strikeouts per game for the Jackalopes.
“Professional baseball is much different than college baseball,” said Kennedy. “It’s on the individual to go about their daily business in a certain manner. There has to be a lot of individual responsibility, maturity and intelligence in order to give yourself the best opportunity for success.”
Still has relished the move to the professional level so far with new challenges every day.
“Pro ball is a little different than college because there isn’t as much team practice because we play six games a week,” he said. “So you’re doing a lot of work on your own. And my throwing schedule has changed too. In college I pitched every seven days, but now it’s every six days, so I’ve had to change my workout and recovery routines to not feel burnt out as much while playing more and throwing more games.”
And as for his routine, Trosclair knows that it won’t be a major change for his teammate.
“I still remember his exact bullpen warm up,” he said. “He has had the same one since freshman year and I’m sure he still does the same one now. He has such a professional approach to his preparation of the game. It doesn’t matter if he had a terrible outing, or an amazing complete game, he goes right back to the routine. He does the little things right, which makes the big things take care of themselves.”
Still’s accomplishments represent a positive step for the Loyola baseball program as he hopes to be an example for the players coming behind him.
“The best advice I could give to my former teammates is that one bad game is not the end of the world and that there will be more opportunities to showcase your abilities,” he said. “So trust the coaches and your process.”
Last season, the Wolf Pack set a new program record for most wins in a season at 37 with Still’s contributions playing a major role.
“As a team, I think it is important that we portray the same kind of leadership as he did,” Bowen said. “To be able to push each other and bring energy the way he did. To support our guys through struggle and success. We can do that, then we can do amazing things.”
If all goes according to plan, the team is looking to have more players follow in the footsteps of their former star.
“Stephen worked incredibly hard to earn this opportunity, and we are all very proud of him,” Kennedy said. “And we hope to have more players turn professional this year as the program continues to grow.”
