Marc Stevens of Randallstown Baseball Named Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month

Marc Stevens, who coaches Randallstown High School's baseball team in Baltimore County, is the County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month!

Randallstown has enjoyed a successful first half of the season. The Rams hold a 7-1 record, which includes a 7-0 mark in their division.

"The players have committed themselves to maximizing their athleticism and making it work towards the goals of the team," Coach Stevens said. "Before in the program we've seen flashes of it, but this season they're meshing it with a strong baseball IQ."

Coach Stevens has coached baseball for 16 years at Randallstown, where he's also an English teacher. He's spent the last eight seasons as the varsity head coach, and during that time he has led the Rams to two division championships.

Coach Stevens is a self-described baseball lifer. He played all four years at Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J., predominately as a middle infielder. Later, he played collegiately at Delaware State.

"For those players who want to play at the next level, he knows how to get there, which is a tremendous insight for us," senior pitcher Jameel White said.

Randallstown's players praised Coach Stevens for being an excellent teacher of fundamentals.

"Coach Stevens makes sure that everyone knows what they're doing and that you know the full process step by step," senior right fielder Keyshawn Miller said. "He's just a really good coach."

To junior pitcher and left fielder Timothy Tillman, Coach Stevens' demeanor also deserves some credit for Randallstown's outstanding start to the season.

"Some things that Coach Stevens teaches are responsibility and having a good work ethic," Tillman said. "He's a laidback coach and likes to have fun, but when it's game time he's really serious."

To Coach Stevens, there's no better place to coach baseball than Randallstown because of the challenge that comes with it.

Randallstown is not known as a traditional baseball powerhouse, so Coach Stevens has taken it upon himself to generate a buzz around the sport within the school's community. One way did this is by hosting a Jackie Robinson game against Parkville on April 20. The Rams all wore jerseys with the number 42, and local businesses were on hand to provide refreshments for fans.

Coach Stevens has also started getting players serious about baseball before they get to Randallstown. The main way he's done this is by hosting a clinic with Liberty Road Parks & Recreation for middle school students, the majority of whom are zoned to attend Randallstown.

For Coach Stevens, all the extra work is about giving back to a sport that has given him so much.

"Unfortunately, we're existing in a time when a lot of young African American males don't love baseball like they did when I was a teenager," Coach Stevens said. "It can be laborious at times because selling what things the game can give you has been a daily challenge for my coaching staff, but it's also what draws me to the job. I love that baseball is a sport where if you put in the work, you see the success."

For being named County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, Coach Stevens received a gift certificate, bottle of sauce, and hat from Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as a County Sports Zone t-shirt.

If you'd like to make a nomination for next month's County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, email Wick Eisenberg at weisenberg@countysportszone.com.

Congratulations to Coach Stevens!