When Landon Stephens arrived at Miami University as a freshman in the fall of 2016, he knew he would have to play his way into the lineup.
It didn’t take long.
The Hamilton High School graduate started in 45 of the 48 games he played that spring and has been a stalwart in the lineup ever since then. Now the junior third baseman relishes the opportunity to be one of the team’s leaders on and off the field.
“My fall meeting freshman year, it was like, ‘We don’t know what you’re going to be or what you’re going to do,’ but I had a good fall season, played my way into the lineup and stayed there ever since,” said Stephens, who entered this season with 98 starts under his belt. “The desire to be great and play this game as long as I can was something I took pride in right away. I worked hard, learned from the older guys and since then just continue to increase my role on the field.”
The experience he gained over his first two seasons was invaluable.
As a freshman, he enjoyed some personal success, batting .287 with 26 RBIs and 21 runs scored while splitting time at third base and in the outfield, but the team struggled during a 22-34 finish. Then last year as a sophomore he hit .298 with seven home runs and a team-leading 46 RBIs as the RedHawks went 35-20 and finished second in the Mid-American Conference.
“The biggest thing for me has been truly learning how to fail,” Stephens said. “In baseball, that’s something that is going to happen more times than you succeed with batting average and stuff like that. My first two seasons were not bad by any means, but from those first two years I’ve learned how to fail and be able to mentally handle the game.”
Stephens was so focused on adjusting to college baseball and trying to find his role freshman year that he didn’t have time to process the struggles of the team. He became more aware of how he can impact Miami’s success on a greater level this past summer while playing with the St. Cloud Rox in the Northwoods League.
A collegiate wooden bat league in the Minnesota/Wisconsin area, the Northwoods League brings together top players from around the country and gives them a similar experience to that of professional ball where teams play or train daily. Out of the 77 days he spent with the Rox, he had just two days off from team activities.
“Mentally and physically it was a toll, but it taught me how to lead,” Stephens said. “That’s something I wanted to do at Miami this year, and going there and playing with different caliber of talent, I had to learn to communicate and I learned from them.”
Miami returned just five starters from last year, so Stephens knew this year would be an adjustment for the team with a lot of new players. Recalling his experience in Minnesota over the summer when players who didn’t know each other came together from all over, Stephens went out of his way to try to help the new guys get acclimated.
The RedHawks jumped out to a 12-3 start going into mid-March, and Stephens credited the early success to team chemistry and players meshing together well. Miami was picked to finish third in the MAC preseason poll, but Stephens said an outright title is the goal and a trip to the College World Series doesn’t feel out of reach.
Individually, Stephens had a rough start, batting just .271 with 11 RBIs through 15 games, but was starting to turn things around it seemed when he hit his second home run of the season in a 2-for-5 outing with 3 RBIs in a 16-1 win over NKU on March 13.
“The first couple weekends were tough,” said Stephens, who chose Miami to be close to home. “I was dealing with the loss of my grandpa. We were really close, and we bonded through baseball. That’s when it hit me the most and when I really started to grieve. It totally affected my performance, but I worked through that and I’m playing like I used to, more relaxed. I’m just focusing on the routine of baseball, my mental game and not overthinking the game.”
Stephens had entered the season hoping to hit .350 with 10 home runs. His slow start makes those stats tough to achieve but not impossible. He’s not worried. Instead, he’s “focused on the process of getting those numbers than the numbers themselves” and just improving with each day.
It helps knowing he has the confidence of sixth-year coach Danny Hayden.
“I’ve had tons of talks with him,” Stephens said. “He made it pretty apparent I’m the guy, I’m the leader. I haven’t looked at it that way. I just try to work hard and improve. Coaches’ approval doesn’t make me take a step back. It just makes me want to continue to be the guy for the team and be a leader.”