Awards:
• 2012 American Southwest Conference West Division Coaching Staff of the Year
Scott Shepperd, a four-year letterwinner at Concordia, begins his fifth season as an assistant coach on the baseball staff at his alma mater in 2013. His main responsibilities include being the team's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. He also works with the infielders and catchers and is the program's summer camp coordinator.
Shepperd was a member of the ASC West Division Coaching Staff of the Year, as the Tornados were also ranked as high as fourth nationally during the season and finished with a school-record 37 victories in the program’s NCAA Division III era. Headlined by Collin Janssen, all of the regular starting infielders and catcher that were mentored by the CTX alum garnered American Southwest Conference postseason honors while leading the Tornados to their second straight ASC Tournament crown and NCAA West Regional appearance. Janssen, third baseman Andrew Burns and second baseman Matt McManemin were named to the first team, shortstop Colton Gommert was a second-team selection and Kyle Rodriguez was honorably mentioned for All-ASC laurels while also being named the ASC West Division Freshman of the Year. Furtheremore, Janssen was named the ASC Fred Jacoby Male Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year, a D3Baseball.com All-American Second Team selection and the ASC West Division Co-Player of the Year.
Shepperd oversaw six players who garnered ASC postseason honors while helping the team post one of its biggest turnaround seasons in program history in 2011. The performances of the infielders and catchers allowed Concordia to record 32 victories, which more than doubled the previous season’s total, win a share of the West Division title, capture the ASC championship and record a pair of wins at the NCAA West Regional. ASC Tournament Most Valuable Player Justin Beasley, who saw time at third base and first base before spending the rest of the season as the team’s primary designated hitter, and all of the regular starters in the infield and at catcher garnered All-ASC postseason recognition.
All in all, Shepperd has mentored one D3Baseball.com All-American, one D3Baseball.com All-West Region selection, two ASC West Division Players of the Year, one ASC West Division Freshman of the Year, four All-ASC First Team selection and seven student-athletes who have been honorably mentioned for All-ASC laurels.
Prior to coming to Concordia, Shepperd worked under head coach Mark Johnson with the Sam Houston State University baseball team during the 2007-08 academic year. In this position, he helped with the training and development of the infielders, catchers and hitters while also assisting with the playing surface of Don Sanders Stadium. The Bearkats won the Southland Conference Championship and made their second straight NCAA Division I Tournament appearance with Shepperd on the staff.
Shepperd started his coaching career at Concordia as a volunteer assistant coach. He served as the first base coach, recruiting coordinator and assistant hitting coach for the 2007 season. Furthermore, he was also an assistant for the Anchorage Bucs staff during the summers of 2007 and 2008.
Before beginning his coaching career, Shepperd lettered with the Tornados for four years (2003-06) as a catcher and was also a player coach during his junior and senior seasons. He helped the squad advance to the American Southwest Conference Tournament every year during his tenure as a player. The Tornados posted a 103-62 record, which included four winning campaigns, and were co-West Division regular-season champions in 2004.
Shepperd, an Austin native, comes from a coaching family. His grandfather, Cliff Gustafson, was the former winningest coach in Division I baseball history, registering a 1,427-373-2 ledger over 29 seasons (1968-96) with the Longhorns, and is currently in the National Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame. Shepperd earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Concordia in 2007 and is nearing the completion of a master's degree in education at the institution. He resides in Austin with his wife, Vanessa.
