Brad Stevens Recruited This Red Sox Pitcher To Play Basketball At Butler

One of the best all-around athletes in Boston is … Travis Lakins?

The 24-year-old, Franklin, Ohio, native currently makes his living in the Boston Red Sox bullpen. But Lakins also is a highly skilled basketball player, who seven years ago was coveted by none other than Brad Stevens, when the Boston Celtics head coach was leading the Butler Bulldogs.

“(Butler) offered me to play basketball and baseball,” Lakins recently said, via WEEI’s Rob  Bradford. “That was pretty cool. … I’m a big fan of basketball so it was pretty cool (Stevens) recruited me to play. Now it’s great watching what he’s doing in the NBA.”

It’s worth noting Lakins never would have played for Stevens, as the Indiana native left Butler to join the Celtics after the 2013 season.

Lakins, who suffered a loss Tuesday night against the Cleveland Indians, is 0-1 with 6.43 ERA in four appearances this season.

About the Author

Dakota Randall

Plymouth State/Boston University product from Wolfeboro, NH, who now is based in Rhode Island. Have worked at NESN since 2016, covering the Patriots since 2021. Might chat your ear off about Disney World, Halo 2, and Lord of the Rings.