The Dogs’ Lacey took a winding road to professional baseball

Steven Lacey was accustomed to entering games as a backup reliever before his professional career. With the Chicago Dogs, although more has fallen on his shoulders, he has managed to meet the demand.

Since the Dogs signed him in 2023, Lacey has established himself as a legitimate starter, helping the team win an American Association Division Championship in his rookie season and leading the team to the back-to-back Division Championship game. This year, he has pitched a career-high 77.1 innings with 60 strikeouts.

"I was an underdeveloped guy in high school. Got an offer to a JUCO school, and ever since, just kept working hard. And now I'm here. It's been a fun journey," he said.

Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, he was introduced to the game at age five by his parents, and from his first time throwing the ball on the mound, he fell in love with the craft.

He carried that passion into high school at Canton Academy, where he played second base and pitched, helping the Panthers reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017 and win the 2017 MAIS North Half state title. By his senior year, when he was capable of throwing 80-mph balls and settling in as a starting pitcher, he began to believe he could take the game further.

Though the only offer he received at the time was from Holmes Community College, a JUCO school. He took it without hesitation.

"It was exciting for me because I didn't have any other options. So I was just going to go all in on it," he said.

Even a roster spot wasn't guaranteed when he arrived. The coach even warned him he might be redshirted his first year. Lacey responded by outworking everyone around him, earning a reliever role and setting a school record with 11 saves in 14 appearances, posting a 2.40 ERA and 64 strikeouts across his two years there.

"I just got to be better than everybody else, and maybe I won't get redshirted," he said.

That performance drew interest from Division I programs, and Lacey transferred to South Alabama. But opportunities were scarce in such a highly anticipated program. He made just four relief appearances before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down, then sat out 2021 on a redshirt.

With two years of eligibility remaining, he transferred again, this time to Division II's Delta State, closer to home and his parents. He helped the Statesmen win the 2022 Gulf South Conference regular-season title and earn an NCAA Division II South Region berth. In 2023, he pitched a career-best 32.0 innings with a 3.66 ERA.

Lacey’s unique route, going through three programs with three levels, showcases a learning process.

"It really showed me if you want to do this, you're just gonna have to work hard," he said. "Anything's possible if you put your mind to it."

After graduation, Lacey tested the professional waters with the Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plain League. He didn't get drafted or land a free agent deal, but his Delta State experience led to a connection that changed everything.

While making calls looking for an opportunity, he reached Stew Cliburn — a fellow Jackson native and Delta State alum who was now the Dogs' pitching coach. Three days later, Lacey had a contract.

"It was awesome. Coming into a place where the pitching coach understands where I came from, being able to talk to him all the time, just being able to do what I do," he said.

His professional path has had its own detours. After two seasons with the Dogs, Lacey played in Nicaragua during the offseason with the Curacao Goats in the Serie de Las Americas. He was later traded to the Lancaster Stormers before returning to Chicago for the second half of the 2025 season.

"It was a learning moment for me," he said. "Learning how to adjust on the fly, learning that not everything is going to go the way you expected it to go, but you've still got to show up and do your job. Be a good teammate and do what you're supposed to do."

With years of finding his identity as a starter, Lacey has adapted into the bigger role.

"I was trying to find myself as a starter, figuring out who I was, what worked for me," he said. "I think I've figured that out (this year) when it comes to the in-between work between starts, being in the weight room, getting the stretching in...It's a lot of learning."