Hall of Fame
Earl Stephenson Photo Gallery
Tales from the Creek Podcast: Earl Stephenson (January 2024)
Earl Stephenson Hall of Fame Induction Video
Earl Stephenson, ‘66 was one of five Campbell players to reach Major League Baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. A 1965 graduate of Benson High School, he played one season at Campbell under Coach Hargrove B. “Hoggie” Davis. A left-handed pitcher, Stephenson was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the 1967 January draft and made his professional debut that spring with Quincy (Ill.) of the Midwest League, where he finished with an 8-7 record and a 2.90 earned run average. After spending two years in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division, he returned to Quincy, then moved up to Double AA San Antonio one year later.
He opened the 1971 season with the Cubs and made his major league debut Apr. 7, 1971. Traded by the Cubs to Milwaukee, Stephenson spent the entire 1972 season with the Brewers and posted a 3-5 record in 35 appearances. He faced future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in ’72 at Anaheim Stadium and was deadlocked in a 0-0 tie through eight innings before the Angles scored the game’s lone run with two out in the bottom of the ninth. He was later traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, then acquired by the Montreal Expos in the Rule 5 draft before being dealt to the Minnesota Twins. He joined the Baltimore organization in 1976 and was called up to the big leagues in 1977. Stephenson played under Hall of Fame managers Leo Durocher and Earl Weaver and alongside Hall of Famers Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Brooks Robinson.
He pitched in 365 games over 11 minor league seasons and played at the Triple-A level over the course of eight years. Stephenson was named to the Pacific Coast League (AAA) All-Star Team in 1974 while at Tacoma. He finished his pro career in 1979 at Triple A Tidewater in the Mets system.
Stephenson re-joined the Orioles organization as a minor league pitching coach from 1986-88, spending two years at Class-A Hagerstown in the Carolina League. Since his professional career ended, Stephenson has devoted himself to teaching the game he loves in the area. He served as baseball coach at Triton High School in nearby Erwin from 1997-2002 and also as an American League coach for Post 59 (1999-2001) and Post 109 (2009-12). He still runs the Earl Stephenson Pitching School and coaches youth travel ball teams.
