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The Draughn senior infield/pitcher made things official with Young Harris College of Georgia, signing to join the Mountain Lions of NCAA Division II’s Conference Carolinas.

As a junior for the Wildcats, Stephens hit .288 with 16 RBIs, one home run and three doubles, scoring 14 runs. He went 25 1/3 innings on the mound with an ERA of 2.76 and a 3-1 record, striking out 37 with 16 walks and allowing no extra-base hits. Stephens’ fielding percentage was .881 with 17 putouts and 20 assists.

In his sophomore season, Stephens hit .254 with 14 RBIs, two doubles and 21 runs scored. He posted a .920 fielding percentage with 13 putouts and 33 assists.

Stephens’ freshman fielding percentage was .898 with 27 putouts and 26 assists.

The senior chose Young Harris out of several that were interested in him.

“This summer, I went to a bunch of colleges and their camps,� Stephens said. “We kind of got to the end and I had a couple schools and I had to think about it and pray about it. I decided that they had my major, it’s in a really good spot and I liked the coaching staff and family atmosphere they have there. So, I decided that Young Harris was going to be the place for me.�

This signing was a special one for the DHS program, which is led by second-year head coach Kenny Stephens — Griffin’s father — who has been on the Wildcats’ staff for a number of years, now.

“It’s awesome,� Kenny Stephens said. “He’s my son, but now is the time that I can kind of brag on him and be proud. I’m always proud, but (I love) seeing all the hard work and dedication he’s put in pay off. I know he’s my son, but as a dad and coach, it’s hard to be able to brag on him for how much hard work he does, because you don’t want to show any bias.

“To see where he started to where he is now, it makes me basically grin from ear-to-ear. Seeing the guy who works his butt off, it actually pay off for him in the end, that makes me super-proud.�

While Griffin Stephens has played multiple positions with Draughn, joining the pitching rotation last spring, he expects to start off as a position player and potentially get the opportunity to pitch for the Mountain Lions later on.

“I just want to do whatever I can to help the team and whatever will give me the most opportunity while I’m down there,� Griffin Stephens said. “I kind of get the opportunity to leave the options open, so that’s what I’m really excited about. Just being able to help in however I can.�

Kenny Stephens said the senior personally identified Young Harris as an option, attended a camp and was able to catch the coaches’ attention.

“They recruited him as a two-way guy, to pitch and play position, but I think he’s going to start out as a position player,� Kenny Stephens said. “They’ll kind of go from there. He went up there to camp, had a good camp and the coaches reached out to him. He went on a visit and loved it.�

Before he gets to Young Harris, however, Griffin Stephens has one final spring season with Draughn as the Wildcats look to build on quite a bit of recent success.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot,� Griffin Stephens said. “There’s no better feeling than playing baseball for Draughn, so I’m looking forward to it a lot. We’re hoping to accomplish the big one this year. We want to win a state championship and we want to win a conference championship every year. I really want us to be able to go out there, play free and have a good time while we try to go for the big one and win it all.�

Griffin Stephens said he is grateful for everyone who has supported him in his journey.

“I just want to thank God and all my family, my parents and my teammates,� said Griffin Stephens, who plans to major in law and public policy. “I have to thank all of them. I wouldn’t be here without them.�