PHOENIX — Josh Stephan had been through enough already.
He underwent elbow surgery as a freshman pitcher at South Grand Prairie (Texas) High School, and two later knee surgeries limited his amateur career further. Just when he was breaking out as a senior in 2020, that season was cut short by the pandemic, and any chance of being drafted became smaller when that process moved to five rounds. While Stephan had pro interest, he also had a commitment to Stephen F. Austin, and on vacation with family at Gulf Shores, Ala., he “got off the jet ski” to decide his future with a poignant message from his mother, LeaAnn.
“She sat me down one day, and she was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know what’s in store for you, but I feel like something good is going to come from this,’” he said. “So I believed in that.”…