Sam Stevens is Xavier’s young righty with swing-and-miss upside
In the 2026 season, Xavier RHP Sam Stevens is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore whose profile is built on strikeout stuff and emerging poise: he already flashed a 5-strikeout, hitless 2.0-inning outing at LSU in 2025 and finished that season with 6 strikeouts in just 2.2 innings, despite a rough 16.87 ERA in a tiny sample.[1][2] He also picked up a win in Xavier’s 2026 run, which suggests the staff trusts him in competitive spots.[5] If you’re looking for a high-upside arm to develop, he looks like a better “bet on the stuff” candidate than a finished product—raw, but with real swing-and-miss flashes.[1][2][5]
