By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – One of the most consistent and feared sluggers in the Ohio Valley Conference, Zach Stephens etched his name as one of the best players to don the purple and gold during his four-year career from 2011-14.
He is one of five inductees into the 50th class of the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame. Along with Stephens, Judson Dillard (men's basketball, 2009-2013), Angela Freund Bobo (soccer, 1998-2001), Daniel Miles (baseball, 2013-2014), and Michael Penix Sr. (football, 1992-1995) will be inducted during the annual Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Roaden University Center's Multipurpose Room. Tickets for the dinner are on sale by calling (931) 372-3940, visiting the Eblen Center ticket office, or by visiting TTUsports.com.
When it was all said and done, the Soddy Daisy, Tenn. native established seven program career records, as well as two OVC marks. A .320 career hitter, he became the league's all-time leader with 62 home runs and 229 RBI following his senior campaign, both of which still represent the second-best marks in OVC history.
He made 221 starts in 222 games played, both Tech records, piling up new program standards of 285 hits (now second), 192 runs (now fourth), and 529 total bases (now second) along the way. His 52 doubles ranked second among all Golden Eagles (now fourth), while his 126 walks and 30 hit-by-pitches both represented the third-most in program history (each now sixth).
A leader at the plate for his entire career, he paced the purple and gold in home runs and RBI as a freshman, in batting average, hits, home runs, RBI, runs, walks, slugging, and on-base percentage as a sophomore, and in hits, home runs, RBI, runs, walks, slugging, and on-base percentage as a junior.
Following his rookie campaign, the Stephens earned both OVC All-Freshman Team honors and a Freshman All-American nod from Collegiate Baseball. He upped the ante as a sophomore, establishing himself in the record books while picking up All-OVC Second Team accolades just the second Golden Eagle ever named a semifinalist for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Dick Howser Trophy, given annually to the national college baseball player of the year.
During that 2012 campaign, he registered the sixth-most home runs in school history with 18 (now 10th), boasting the program's 11th-best slugging percentage of .696 (now 17th) and 18th-best on-base percentage of .476 (now 20th). He also a team-high .368 with 13 doubles and 52 RBI.
He continued to etch his name in the record books as a junior in 2013, ranking second with 71 RBI (now ninth), eighth with 15 home runs (now 19th), seventh with 59 runs (now 21st), ninth with 38 walks (now 19th), 12th with 77 hits, and 19th with 17 doubles. Stephens also tied a program record by finishing 5-for-5 at the plate in a contest against Murray State, a mark bested only by three-time OVC Player of the Year Kevin Strohschein three years later (6-for-6).
For his efforts that season, Tech set a program record with 40 wins and an OVC record with a mark of 24-6 in league play (both broken by the 2018 Tech squad), capturing the 2013 OVC regular season title. The first baseman was rewarded with All-American Honorable Mention honors from College Baseball Insider and his second straight All-OVC Second Team nod.
As a senior, he not only cemented his status as a Tech great on the career charts, but also added a few more tallies on the season charts. Stephens slugged a career-high 19 home runs for the fifth-highest total by a Golden Eagle (now eighth), adding 57 RBI to rank 12th for a season (now 24th) and 38 walks to rank 10th (now 19th).
For good measure, the Tech slugger earned his third straight All-OVC Second Team honor. He was a two-time OVC Player of the Week throughout his career as well.
Following the 2014 season, Stephens signed a free-agent contract following the 2014 MLB Draft with the Texas Rangers. He spent one season in the Arizona Complex League with the Rangers' Rookie ball squad, batting .309 in 41 games.
Stephens earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science and physical wellness with a concentration in fitness and wellness from Tech in 2014.
