Former Richmond Hill High School ace Kevin Matthews is a step closer to the big leagues.

Matthews, picked 33rd overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2011 Major League Draft, was promoted May 24 to the Class A Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads in the South Atlantic League and has already seen time on the mound.

A lefthander, Matthews thew in relief on May 30 and struck out four in two innings to earn the win in Hickory’s 3-2 victory over Delmarva.

To date, Matthews (1-0) has pitched four innings for Hickory. He’s allowed five hits and one run while walking one and striking out five.

Matthews, considered one of the Rangers’ top prospects, is scheduled to pitch again Sunday in Hickory. He’s reportedly set to to pitch June 7 in Charleston, S.C.

Matthews, 19, split time last season between the rookie level Arizona League and short-season Spokane, according to LoneStarBaseball.com. He compiled a 2.20 earned run average in 28.2 innings, giving up 24 hits, walking 18 and striking out 30.