Grady Stevenson is a great example of choosing to do what you love. Stevenson is the club baseball team president and a senior at SUNY Cortland. Stevenson is from Croton Harmon Ny, where he was a basketball and baseball standout throughout his high school career. The right fielder’s journey to the president of the club team is as he describes it, “One of the most unpredictable, but rewarding experiences of my life.”
Growing up, Stevenson was a die-hard Mets fan. His family would go to Citi Field where he said he fell in love with the game and dreamed of playing in the MLB. His favorite player, David Wright, shares a similar story to Stevenson, as his success on the field was constantly set back by nagging injuries.
In his later years of high school, the Westchester native had plans of playing division 1 baseball. Scouts were interested in him and his success in fall and summer travel baseball leagues. But the constant demand of baseball proved to hurt Stevenson more than it helped. A laundry list of arm and shoulder injuries resulted in him missing most of his senior year of baseball.
When Stevenson got to Cortland in the fall of 2019 he said, “I was kind of over that part of my life.” Talked about how following his senior year of baseball, took a lot out of him as an athlete and a person. After his injuries, it was much harder to get recruited. And he had gotten over the idea of playing college baseball.
But like many, Stevenson’s time away from the game made him realize how much passion he had for it. Knowing it would be nearly impossible to walk onto SUNY Cortland’s baseball team, as they are one of the premier teams in the county, Stevenson decided club baseball was more his route.
Stevenson said, “Even trying out for club baseball was nerve-racking, a lot of the guys can really play, it was as good of competition I’d ever been a part of.” Luckily for Stevenson, he hadn’t missed a beat in his time off and made the club team.
After 2 years of baseball, and one year of covid, Stevenson now finds himself at the helm of the Cortland Club Baseball team, in what he describes as a “Humbling” honor to be president. Stevenson and the rest of the club team, look to start their season off right this march.