This USM pitcher made an incredible debut in 2019. How will he follow his first act?
With three dominant starts to close out the 2019 campaign, Southern Miss right-hander Gabe Shepard’s display of velocity and control generated buzz across the college baseball world and among MLB scouts.
As a freshman 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery, he tossed the first 7 1/3 innings of a no-hitter against Rice in the Conference USA tournament. The outing was part of a run of 11 hitless innings that crossed his final three starts against Troy, Rice and Arizona State.
When he took the mound against ASU in the Baton Rouge Regional, Shepard’s fastball topped out at 97 miles per hour as USM trounced the Sun Devils 15-3.
“That was as good a finish as I’ve ever seen out of anybody,” USM baseball coach Scott Berry said during the team’s media day.
Entering the 2020 season, the spotlight will follow Shepard to the mound as he makes the start in Friday’s season opener against Murray State. this weekend against Murray State. There should be a few more butts in the seats when he pitches — fans and scouts.
For Shepard, the challenge is to show the 2019 finish was no fluke while leading a young, but deep pitching staff. All the while, he’ll be followed closely by pro scouts.
It usually takes three years of college baseball for a player to be eligible for the MLB Draft, but Shepard, who was 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 appearances in 2019, will turn 21 in March, making him eligible after two seasons.
Shepard was recently included in Perfect Game’s top 150 players for the 2020 MLB Draft, making him one of best pitching prospects in program history. Former Golden Eagle slugger Matt Wallner became USM’s highest draft pick ever when he went 39th overall to his hometown Minnesota Twins in the 2019 draft.
Shepard’s chances of going higher than Wallner will rely on him lasting a full season without any significant setbacks. While there’s little debate that Shepard has some of the best stuff in college baseball, he hasn’t lasted a full season without major restrictions since his junior year of high school.
He took the mound against Mississippi State early during the 2019 campaign, but he was under a tight pitch count until he tossed 112 against Arizona State.
USM’s Gabe Shepard brings the heat
The USM coaching staff shut down Shepard over the summer to allow him to rest his right arm, and he was a little erratic when he resumed activity during fall practices. But pitching coach Christian Ostrander likes what he’s seen out of the Mobile, Alabama native entering the season opener.
“I think he feels good. He feels healthy,” Ostrander told the Sun Herald on Monday. “He’s looked strong and the ball is coming out of his hand well. I like where he’s at. This time last year, we had a program where we were trying to build him up bit by bit. This season, we’ve been building up his pitch count and he’s handled the load.”
Shepard, who struck out 46 in 30 2/3 innings in 2019, said he expects to be on a pitch count in the neighborhood of 75-80 when the season begins, and he thinks his summer break was to his benefit.
“Oh, it was 100 percent good for me,” he said. “I think it played a big role in where I am now.”
Shepard’s fastball has clocked in at 92-96 mph as he nears his first start of the season, Ostrander said.
Freshman shortstop/pitcher Dustin Dickerson and the rest of the USM hitters have seen enough of Shepard’s fastball during practice to know he’s ready.
“It’s got a lot of carry to it. It looks like it’s rising when it comes in there,” Dickerson said. “It doesn’t help that he’s mad when he’s pitching. It’s not fun to face. I wouldn’t like to be an opposing team.”
Ostrander chalks up the rising action to a high spin rate.
“It’s not necessarily rising,” he said. “It’s holding its line, fighting gravity. Hitters feel like it’ll be low. It carries and then boom, it’s a strike. Their barrel is often below the ball.”
At 5-foot-10, Shepard is a little on the shorter side for a top pitching prospect, but he makes up for his lack of height with his strength. After packing on about 10 more pounds in the offseason, he’s a sturdy 210 headed into opening day.
“He’s a physical young man. He’s strong,” Ostrander said. “You see him without his shirt on and he’s well put together. He’s strong, but he’s also an athletic strong. His frame holds his weight fine. He’s a strong young man.”
Southern Miss sophomore pitches with an edge
Dickerson’s description of Shepard’s style on the mound as “mad” hits the mark. When he was mowing down Rice and Arizona State hitters to close out the season, Shepard often pumped his fist, let out a shout or jumped off the mound.
Shepard says that he’s always pitched with an edge, but watching a fellow flamethrower, former USM pitcher J.C. Keys, inspired him to show a little more emotion on the mound.
“In high school, I wasn’t as bad as I am now,” he said. “J.C. Keys, my best friend, was my throwing partner. Watching him come off the mound pumped, I thought, ‘Hey, that looks pretty cool.’ I got out there and started throwing. It makes your adrenaline rush and makes the fans get into the game.
“Whether the fans know it or not, when I have a guy 0-2 and they’re yelling, that helps me tremendously.”
Ostrander has worked with Shepard to make sure he maintains his composure on the mound, but he appreciates the fact that he’ll always be emotional with the ball in his hand.
“He’s up there trying to bury that guy, to be honest,” Ostrander said. “Some of the best guys I’ve coached, that’s a characteristic for them. You’ve got to find a way to turn on that switch and turn into a monster. Some guys do it easier than others. A guy like (former USM All-American) Nick Sandlin is a great example. He was out there trying to bury that hitter and destroy them. Gabe has some of those same characteristics.”
Game 1 of the three-game series against Murray State begins at 4 p.m. on Friday at Pete Taylor Park in Hattieburg. Game 2 is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday with redshirt senior RHP Walker Powell starting for USM and Game 3 follows at 1 p.m. on Sunday with freshman lefty Chandler Best getting the start.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
