Stevenson & Kepley Selected On Day 1 Of 2025 MLB Draft

ATLANTA, Ga. – Luke Stevenson became North Carolina baseball's 26^th first-round pick when he was selected 35^th overall by the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night. Kane Kepley was taken by the Chicago Cubs shortly thereafter in the second round to wrap up the first day of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft for the Diamond Heels.

Stevenson is the first Carolina catcher to be taken in the first since College Baseball Hall of Famer B.J. Surhoff went 1.01 in 1985. The New Jersey native is the second first round selection for UNC head coach Scott Forbes, joining Vance Honeycutt who was drafted 22^nd overall by Baltimore last year.

Carolina now lays claim to 26 first-round picks, including 13 since 2006. Kepley's selection gives the Heels a pair of players in the opening two rounds for the first time since 2019.

The Diamond Heels' backstop was widely regraded as the best college catcher in the class, thanks in large part to a productive sophomore campaign that saw him earn All-America and All-ACC first team honors. An elite defender, he threw out 35% of attempted base stealers and in his last 18 games teams only executed one successful steal on two attempts.

Starting all 61 games for the Heels, he was second in the ACC with 19 home runs and lead the conference in walks with 59. The 19 long balls is the most by a Carolina catcher since Chris Ianetta hit 15 in 2004.

Kepley hit leadoff and manned center field every game for the 2025 Tar Heels, pacing the team in OBP (.451), steals (45), and free passes (71). Somehow a ball-magnet at 5'8", he finished the year with more HBPs (27) than he had strikeouts (22).

An absolute menace on the base paths, his 45 stolen bases are tied for the third most in a single season in program and his .918 percentage is the second best all-time. By himself, he had more steals than 59 DI programs. The Salisbury, N.C., native finished the year with seven triples, just one shy of tying that record.

The draft will continue on Monday at 11:30 a.m. with the remaining rounds 4-20 being streamed live on MLB.com.

Players Mentioned

Vance Honeycutt

Kane Kepley

Luke Stevenson

Related Videos