Sam Shephard
Last weekend, the men’s baseball team won three out of four games in double headers against Western’s Mustangs and the McMaster Marauders, bringing them to 6-1 for the season. The star of the show was outfielder Sam Shephard, who hit two game-winning home runs, one against the Mustangs and the Marauders, on top of a terrific 0.462 batting average. He also recorded a 1.462 OPS and six hits and RBIs to close out the games.
Originally from Belle River, Shephard grew up around baseball.
He recalls, “My mom played, my dad played, my grandparents played. I started playing around age four or five.”
Starting off as a walk-on in his first year, he had to work tirelessly to join the starting roster. The Warriors have won silver the past two years, and in a team full of talent, it can be hard to stand out.
“I’m confident in my abilities and have always given my all. We’re working to finish the job and take home gold this year,” Shephard said.
His two huge game winners came as a surprise to everyone.
“I didn’t know they’d be game winners, they happened pretty early on and they were low scoring games. Our team just put our heads down and worked to maintain our lead,” he said.
The grit he displayed during the game is a key part of his mentality. The baseball team plays between four and seven games a week, in addition to practices. As an engineering student in co-op, he manages his time efficiently, attending classes or work in the morning and the gym in the evenings, contributing to the culture of dedication that the baseball team is known for.
Shephard draws inspiration from Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers and fellow outfielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.
“I wear the same number as [Trout] and I grew up watching [Cabrera], so I try to model my game after theirs,” he said.
Certainly, good examples make for good players. From walk-on to athlete of the week, his journey has been wonderful to watch for Waterloo baseball fans.
When asked about the upcoming double-header this weekend against the Guelph Gryphons and Brock Badgers, Shephard reiterated the team’s values: “I know we’ll go out there and work hard for it. We try to play clean baseball and inspire everyone around us to do their best.”
Jadelina Tep-Chhun
Tep-Chhun won a bronze medal in her first ever OUA tournament, finishing third place at the Queen’s Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 14 at Cataraqui Golf Club in Kingston. Her final score was five over par.
Tep-Chhun is a first year kinesiology major. She also played golf in high school and recently won a $5,700 Christine Fisher Memorial Student Award from Golf Ontario.
Tep-Chhun did not respond to a request for interview in time for publication.
