By Patrick MacCoonRecord Sports EditorPerhaps one of the most dominant pitchers to pass through the Warrenton baseball program found out his college dream when he least expected.What seemed to be just another regular high school baseball showcase for Ben Stephens soon turned into something more. While he had pictured himself playing one day for St. Louis Community College-Meramec at times, he wasn’t completely sure if or when the moment would ever come.“I went to a showcase and didn’t expect much to come out of it and then Meramec Head Coach Scott Goodrich called me a few days later and he gave me an offer,” Stephens said, reminiscing back in time. “I was pretty sure I wanted to go to that school from the beginning.”Earlier this year, Stephens made the choice official to play for the Archers.One of the biggest appeals to Stephens was the promise for playing time right away.The hard-throwing righty was named GAC Conference Player of the Year. He led the conference in wins (7), strikeouts (90), earned run average (0.93), shutouts (2), complete games (9) and innings pitched (76 1/3).The left-handed hitter also finished second for the Warriors with a .364 batting average and tied for the team lead in hits (32).“It’s really nice when a school can recruit you and promise you playing time right from the start,” Stephens said. “They want me to play middle infield and pitch. I expect to get a solid amount of innings on the mound in the spring.”Another swaying factor, which caught his eye about Meramec, was the history of success and former baseball players they have produced.The Archers put together a 34-23 season in 2015 and were the Region XVI Champions. The program under Goodrich continued the success it has been use to, ever since it helped produce a World Series MVP in 2003.“You definitely can’t miss the success when looking at this program,” Stephens said. “They’ve put out guys like David Freese and a lot of others who have been drafted. They are putting good work into developing their players and that’s something that draws you in.”Perhaps one of Stephens’ greatest traits is his durability and ability to make batters swing and miss. In the past year, he has thrown a total of 144 innings while compiling 194 strikeouts.“I think my arm strength has come with just a little bit of luck and also from working hard at the sport,” he said. “I haven’t run into any elbow or shoulder injury problems. I’m going to keep putting in hard work and will focus on improving my endurance and speed.”Stephens expects to be doing a lot of swimming and running in the fall as he joins his new program.“Whenever you leave Warrenton and go play for a new school, you are representing this town,” he said. “I plan on doing the best I can at that.”

Ben Stephens had a remarkable pitching career for Warrenton and will continue his playing career for St. Louis Community College (Meramec) this fall. Stephens struck out over 200 batters in his career with the Warriors. Derrick Forsythe photo.

Derrick Forsythe photo.