Shepherd 18 K's

Shepherd 18 K's

 

I congratulate Chandler Shepherd. Eighteen strikeouts is obviously a lot. He stands out among his peers on the baseball field. He has a very projectable body frame at the college level and beyond. He seems to be a very hard worker. I’ve heard good things about him personally. With that being said, I think it is important to look at the type of competition that he is facing when the above results are reported.

 

Magoffin County’s record is 10-14 overall. As a starting point by using the latest Kentucky Coaches Poll, only three teams that Magoffin County has faced are ranked. They are:

 

Pikeville (16th). Magoffin lost 10-0 in 6 innings to Pikeville.

Lawrence County (19th). Magoffin lost 6-0 earlier in year.

Butler (Butler is not numerically ranked, but would seem to fall to around the 29th spot). Magoffin lost to Butler 18-1.

 

It’s just hard to fully evaluate Shepherd’s accomplishments based on the type of competition that he is facing. He is surely doing great things at Lawrence County. He obviously is totally outmatching his competition. He is doing exceptional things with what is put in front of him. He does not have control of what team that he is pitching against. Last summer and fall, I know that he played for the Midland Redskins, one of the best travel organizations in the country. At the same time, playing against quality, ranked Lexington, Louisville, or Owensboro teams might give a better indication objectively of the quality of his pitching at this time.