Hebron Christian (Ga.) Academy right-handed pitcher Dean Livingston first picked up a baseball to follow in his older brother’s footsteps, but it didn’t take long for him to find his love for the game.
Now a senior, Livingston is not only committed to play the game at the next level at the University of Georgia, but he is also expected to be drafted in the 2025 MLB draft this summer.
After his brother’s baseball journey ended, Livingston transferred to Hebron Christian Academy and realized his baseball journey was just beginning.
“My sophomore summer I took baseball really seriously and that’s when I started getting my college offers,” Livingston said. “And then this year was the first year I started getting MLB looks, and it was just insane to get my first text from an MLB team.”
Livingston finished this season with a 1.27 ERA through 44 innings pitched, allowing just 20 hits. He also notched 89 strikeouts throughout his 10 appearances on the mound.
The 6-foot-3 and 185-pounder has a fastball that tops out in the mid to upper 90s, reaching up to 97 several times this season.
“The difference from my freshman year to now is just insane,” Livingston said. “Just the amount of work I put in to be where I am right now. I was sitting 84-85 my freshman year.”
This season, 15 of his 89 strikeouts came in Game 1 against Stephens County, where he allowed just two hits and two earned runs through six innings.
But the most impressive part is that Livingston did this while also batting 2 for 4 with a home run, showing his versatility as a pitcher and in the batter’s box.
Livingston batted .434 this season, with 36 hits and 10 home runs, which ranks third in Georgia. In the 10 games he pitched, he also notched at least one hit in eight.
“It’s tough to practice both at the same time,” Livingston said. “Hitting is a whole other beast that you’ve got to conquer. But I love the work, and I love hitting, so it’s not a problem for me.”
Livingston’s performance this year earned him Gwinnett County Pitcher of the Year honors and named him the Region 8 AA two-way Player of the Year.
Livingston plans to stay in his home state of Georgia and join the Bulldogs next year, who are currently ranked No. 1 in the Baseball America and Perfect Game top 25 polls this week.
He credits Georgia head coach Wes Johnson for making his decision to join the Bulldog program an easy one.
“When I met Wes, just the things he was saying about baseball, I had never heard anybody speak the way that he does,” Livingston said. “He just knows so much.”
Johnson was formerly a pitching coach at the Major League Baseball level for the Minnesota Twins for three seasons, giving him a plethora of knowledge about baseball mechanics and making him one of the most renowned coaches in the NCAA.
While it’s unknown if Livingston will make his way to Athens or skip straight to the big leagues, he will surely be a player who will continue to turn heads wherever he may be. For now, Livingston is enjoying living in a dream that he never saw coming.
“As a freshman, I would have never thought that I’d be getting texts from MLB teams,” Livingston said. “It’s just crazy.”
