• 2013 preseason No. 44 NCAA sophomore (Perfect Game) • 2012 PG Collegiate League Pitcher of the Year • 2012 PG Collegiate League first-team • 2012 Perfect Game USA first-team Summer All-America • 2012 top prospect in the PG Collegiate League (Baseball America) • 2012 No. 2 prospect in the PG League (Perfect Game) • 2012 PG Collegiate League All-Star starter (SP) • 2012 NCAA Gary Regional All-Tournament Team • 41st round draft pick in 2011 (White Sox)
Outlook Talented right-hander had a great freshman season and a dominating summer as the pitcher of the year in the Perfect Game Collegiate League, going 9-0 with a 1.73 ERA in 10 starts ... Owns a projectable frame and is working on adding strength ... Has good arm strength and quality secondary offerings in his breaking ball and change up ... Had a pair of shutout outings in extended relief at No. 9 Arkansas and vs. No. 1 LSU, tossing 6.2 combined shutout innings ... Had a heroic outing in the NCAA Tournament with UK crippled by a 21-inning NCAA Tournament opener, going three innings to get a save vs. Valpo to advance UK to the championship round ... With UK needing to win to advance and its pitching staff crippled, worked into the eighth inning with a shutout, before the UK bullpen allowed a disputed three-run homer that saddled him with the loss ... All told in the NCAA Tournament, threw 10.2 innings in a two-day span, tossing 116 pitches... One of the winningest pitchers in Kentucky high school history, going 40-12 in his career with 512 strikeouts in 353 innings, including setting a state record with 47 consecutive shutout innings pitched.
Summer Had a completely dominating summer in the Perfect Game Collegiate League, winning PGCBL Pitcher of the Year honors after leading the circuit in ERA, opponent average and wins ... Went 9-0 in 10 starts with a 1.73 ERA, tossing 67.2 innings with 64 strikeouts, leading the Amsterdam Mohwaks to the league title ... Was on the same Amsterdam team as UK teammates Taylor Martin, Jeff Boehm and Thomas Bernal ... In the regular-season, made eight starts with a 7-0 record and a 1.31 ERA, tossing 55 innings, with only 29 hits and 12 walks allowed, striking out 50.
2012 Had a great freshman season as a midweek starter and as a key extended reliever on the weekends ... Finished with a 3-1 record and a 3.83 ERA with a save coming in the NCAA Tournament ... Made 18 appearances with nine starts, tossing 56.1 innings, walking 16 and striking out 33 ... Pitched in four games in relief in SEC play, with a 1-0 record and a 2.00 ERA, tossing nine innings, allowing seven hits and one walk, striking out five ... In non-conference action, went 2-1 with a 4.18 ERA with a save ... Was 1-0, with a 3.80 ERA in eight games and five starts at Cliff Hagan Stadium ... Was 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA on the road ... Pitched in 11 games with seven starts in contests that UK won, with a 3-0 record and a 3.63 ERA ... UK went 7-2 in his starts ... Inherited 10 runners, allowing six to score ... Made season debut vs. Eastern Michigan, surrendering two runs in one inning ... Made first career start vs. Xavier, tossing five shutout, two-hit innings ... Worked three innings with three runs allowed in his next start vs. Tennessee Tech ... Worked 5.1 shutout, three-hit innings vs. Murray State ... Picked up second career win at Cincinnati, tossing 5.2 innings with two runs allowed ... Struck out five in 4.1 innings, allowing two runs vs. Western Kentucky ... Had a rocky start vs. Dayton, getting two outs, before allowing four runs on four hits in his last start until May ... Broke out as one of the top relievers in the SEC with 3.2 shutout innings at No. 9 Arkansas in his SEC debut, picking up the win ... Worked a shutout inning vs. Cincinnati ... Had another dominant SEC outing vs. No. 1 LSU, tossing three shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out three ... Came on to work 4.2 innings with three runs - two earned - striking out one at Murray State ... Tossed 2.1 innings at Mississippi State in the regular-season finale ... Began his heroic NCAA Tournament with a three-inning save vs. Valpo in the NCAA Tournament regional, needing 34 pitches to advance UK to the next round ... A day after tossing three innings in a save to force the game vs. No. 15 Purdue, UK turned to Shepherd for the start vs. No. 25 Kent State in the regional championship ... Was magnificent vs. the Flashes, carrying a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning, a day after throwing three innings, with the UK bullpen allowing two runs to score to saddle Shepherd with the hard-luck loss ... Worked 10.2 innings in a two-day span in the NCAA Tournament, allowing just the two runs with six strikeouts.
High School The top prospect in the state of Kentucky, turned down an offer from the White Sox as a 41st round draft pick in 2011 to attend UK ... Finished his high school career as one of the most decorated pitchers in state history, posting a 40-12 career record with 512 strikeouts in 353 innings ... Posted a 12-1 record as a senior with 139 strikeouts in 74.2 innings, owning a 0.65 ERA ... Ranks fifth all-time in career wins in the state and second all-time in career strikeouts ... The runner-up for Kentucky High School Mr. Baseball and the 2010-11 Tony Curnutte Memorial Sportsman of the Year ... Played six years of high school baseball ... Set the state record with 46 consecutive scoreless innings pitched ... Tossed two no hitters as a senior ... Led Lawrence County to the region championship and berth in the State Tournament in 2008, 2009 and 2011 ... Had Tommy John surgery in July 2009 with Cincinnati Reds' team doctor Tim Kremchek performing the surgery ...Set school records for batting average, strikeouts, hits, home runs, ERA, wins, shutouts and RBI ... Hit .486 in his career with 197 hits ... Also played football, basketball, track and golf ... Coached by Travis Feltner at Lawrence County High School.
Personal Full name is James Chandler Shepherd ... Son of Jimmy and Cindy ... Born on Aug. 25, 1992 in Ashland, Ky. ... Has a younger sister, Chelsea (15).
