Lucas: Teaching Moments

By Adam Lucas

OMAHA—Parker Haskin is trying to be critical, really he is.

Carolina's backup catcher is assessing Luke Stevenson's year behind the plate and attempting to list an area where the freshman had some difficulty adjusting to the college game. Instead, he ends up listing the ways in which Stevenson has been a very abnormal first year collegian—the strong arm, the soft hands, the deft way he's managed the pitching staff.

"He is just," Haskin says, "a really talented player."

What the senior leaves out is that his protégé has, in fact, benefited from the tutelage of a wiser, more experienced player—Haskin. The Florida native transferred to Carolina after three years at Elon but very quickly realized that, even as a freshman, Stevenson was unusually talented and bound for significant playing time.

But in a familiar storyline for this year's team, Haskin didn't sulk. He didn't explore other destinations for more playing time. He simply set about helping Stevenson in any way he could, trying to speed his transition to the college game whenever possible.

The results: Stevenson has started 62 games behind the plate this year. Haskin has started one. And the younger player says he couldn't have done it without the veteran.

"I've been really fortunate," Stevenson says. "He's one of the most genuine guys in my life."

A highly sought-after recruit, Stevenson arrived in Chapel Hill already possessing many of the technical skills he needed to be a productive catcher. He didn't need extensive work with Haskin to refine his blocking or his release.

But it's also true that this season was the first time he'd ever played full nine-inning games; travel ball and high school games were seven innings. Those extra two innings contain many of the key pitches in every game, and Haskin's input was invaluable.

"He's been great about telling me to be the best catcher I can be for each pitch," Stevenson says. "Throw it back and then it's on to the next pitch. Never take a pitch off, and compete for a full 27-out game. That's also helped me offensively. If I get a bad call, move on to the next pitch. If I take a good swing and foul it off, move on to the next one."

Haskin, though, immediately dismisses any notion that he should receive even a tiny portion of the credit for Stevenson's standout freshman season, which has included a third team slot on the All-ACC team and ACC All-Freshman recognition. Like much of the offense, he's had his struggles in the postseason, but he's also a power lefthanded bat that opponents highlight on the scouting report. If Carolina is to stay alive in Omaha with a win over Florida State on Tuesday, Stevenson will be a big part of it. And by association, so will Haskin, although he doesn't want to hear it.

"If I give him a little piece of advice that helps us win in some way, that's the reward for me," Haskin says. "But it's Luke who is out there actually doing it. All the credit goes to him."

Fans sometimes get a skewed vision of the talent hierarchy at this level. Starters are "good." Reserves aren't.

That's not accurate. Haskin was on the 2023 CAA All-Tournament team. He can play.

And yet, with only one year of baseball remaining in his life, he chose to come to Carolina and do whatever he could do to help the Tar Heels get to Omaha.

"At the end of the day, you have to realize it's a real honor and privilege to be at this University and be part of this team," Haskin says. "I just want to give back and find a way to be a productive member of the team. It's a real credit to Coach Forbes and the culture he's created here that everything here is about winning. It's not about individuals. Everyone wants to do their best to be a productive member of the team, and that's what I'm trying to do."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Parker Haskin

Luke Stevenson

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