Cal notes: Stevens right at home with Storm

River Stevens' situation is a rare one, and the Padres prospect knows how good he's got it.

"Growing up in Southern California and now playing on a team that's no farther than 40 minutes from where I went to high school," Stevens said, "that's just awesome."

The 24-year-old infielder, who was born in Fountain Valley and graduated from Mission Hills High in northern San Diego County, recently found himself assigned to the California League for a third stint with Lake Elsinore. He played seven games for the Storm in 2014 and 41 last year.

When, after seven games in the Midwest League at the start of the month, he heard he was returning home, he was well aware he'd be saying goodbye to the slew of headaches that ordinarily come with Minor League life -- finding reasonable housing solutions, getting comfortable in new environments, being away from friends and loved ones for months on end.

"I enjoy playing wherever I'm at as long as I have the opportunity to play, but to be told I'm going to the Lake Elsinore Storm, that's amazing," he said. "I get to see my wife and my family all the time. I get to go home most nights -- I live in Temecula now, so we're right there. I get to sleep in my own bed, at home, almost every night."

The connection to the Storm runs deeper than convenience, though.

"Actually, I used to go see them play when I was 9 or 10," when they were an Angels affiliate, said Stevens, who grew up a Padres fan. "I still have some memorabilia, a Storm jersey and a Storm hat, somewhere in storage. I had all that stuff. I knew all about them. When I got drafted by the Padres and I found out the Storm are part of our system now, I thought, 'Wow, it'd be sweet to be there one day.' "

It happened for him in his first full season -- San Diego chose him out of Santa Maria's Allan Hancock College in the ninth round in 2012, and after missing 2013 to recover from a labrum tear, Stevens got the bump from Class A Fort Wayne to Lake Elsinore for a stint in July 2014.

"I was just ecstatic," he remembered. "I called my girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife. I called my family, and they were all freaking out. They were so excited about coming to see me play. My high school coach [Ken Putnam] got to come out and see me play. It was just really neat."

Even two seasons after Stevens first played there, the phrase "home game" means something extra for him with the Storm.

"Every game I have someone there -- my brother, my wife, my in-laws, my sister," he said, "and I always have friends coming out, too."

Stevens, an avid musician who keeps a guitar in the clubhouse, makes the most of being physically close to his friends, and those connections make it easy for him to keep music in his life.

"Me and my good, good buddy -- he's actually my brother-in-law, because I married his sister -- we were best friends in high school. We play together all the time," he said. "We both play every instrument, and this last offseason, before I went to Australia [for winter ball], we recorded some songs. He does most of the writing, and I just kind of play what he asks me to and offer some opinions."

On the field, Stevens is looking for consistent playing time from start to finish. In his first year back after the labrum tear, he got into only 57 games, and a broken foot limited him to 42 games last year. In 2016, so far, so good. Over his first eight games back in the Cal League, he played four at third base, one at short and three as the designated hitter. He also put up a four-RBI night last Wednesday and collected four hits in Saturday's game. After a hitless Sunday, he wasn't down about his performance. 

"I'm just trying to hit the ball hard every time, whatever the results," he said. "I'm happy if I do that no matter where it goes, as long as I made good contact. Today I had an 0-for day, but I hit the ball solid three out of four times."

Whatever happens between the lines, he remains grateful for his unique connection to his team.

"The craziest thing is being there in the stadium, when I can remember being 10 years old and going out to games with my dad, and with our travel ball team at the time," he said. "That's the trippy thing that gets me. It's awesome to be able to sleep in my own bed, but knowing I used to be there as a kid is the trippiest thing."

In brief

Blazing fastballs: Against Stevens' Lake Elsinore squad, Bakersfield got phenomenal starts out of a pair of right-handed Seattle prospects over the weekend. On Friday, Andrew Moore, the No. 10 Mariners prospect, threw seven no-hit innings, walking one. On Sunday, Tyler Herb did nearly as well, allowing one hit and two walks over seven frames. Those gems helped the Blaze to a circuit-best 2.62 ERA as a team.

Some guys get none of the luck: Despite a 0.00 ERA, No. 6 Giants prospect Sam Conrood entered his second start with a 0-1 record on Friday night. He maintained his perfect ERA, whiffing six over five innings of two-hit ball, but he had to watch San Jose's shutout bid fall apart when Modesto scored four runs in the ninth.

First star I see tonight: Lancaster kicks off its 2016 Superstar Series on Thursday night with a meet-and-greet session with two-time All-Star Shawn Green. Hall-of-Famer Ferguson Jenkins and six-time All-Star Will Clark are among those slated to make appearances later in the year. Fans not enticed by those sports greats may be interested in the 90-minute, all-you-can-eat barbecue included in Superstar Series ticket packages.