Shepler and Hounds make CWS
June 14, 2023 at 6:33 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS- Liberty's own Denton “Mook” Shepler, a three-time All-TEC baseball player, can now add playing in the College World Series to his resume.
Shepler and the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds fell just short of a victory in their final game earlier this month. In the NCAA Division II Championship on June 5, the Hounds were down by seven runs taking on Cal State San Bernardino. With their last three outs to go, Shepler got his team started, singling to rightfield; after moving along the basepaths, a hit knocked in Shepler, scoring the first Hounds' run in the ninth inning. Four more runs would score as they mounted a comeback, but the Hounds came up two runs short in the 10-8 loss that ended their season.
Hounds' head coach Al Ready invited two of his UIndy players to the postgame press conference, one being Shepler. Ready's opening comment…
"First and foremost, let me just tell you how proud I am of my guys, especially these two guys sitting up here with me (Shepler, and Isaac Bair) right now. They've been with us four or five years; all the hard work and dedication that it takes to get to this stage. And these aren't the only ones of course. I can't say how proud I am of these guys."
Shepler's senior season with UIndy was the first time since 2016 that the Hounds took part in the NCAA tournament. They started as the seventh-seeded team in the Midwest regional and swept their competition, starting with an 11th inning win over Illinois Springfield. Shepler was instrumental in the win as he laid down a sacrifice hit that advanced the lead runner, allowing him to score two at-bats later, and give the Hounds the win.
UIndy then got busy knocking off #3 seed Maryville in two straight games 14-5 and 11-1. Their next matchup took them on the road to Quincy, Illinois, whom the Hounds beat 4-3 then 5-2, Shepler scored a run in each game, and the sweep over the Hawks sent Shepler's team to Cary, North Carolina to play in the DII Championships. The two and out format saw the Hounds fall twice to start the tournament. The first game they fell to Millersville 6-5 and ending with the loss to Cal State.
Shepler ends his college career with a .263 batting average, nine home runs, 67 RBI, and a .507 on-base percentage. He became a full-time starter in 2022 and tallied a .306 batting average with a .902 OPS. Shepler collected 34 hits, five doubles, and three home runs, while earning Academic All-GLVC honors. His senior season saw his home run total double, knocking six deep for the Hounds and collecting 38 RBI. Shepler graduated this Spring with a degree in accounting.
At Union County Shepler was a member of Jeff Mathews' final two sectional champion teams and a member of the 2018 TEC Champs. He was named All-State honorable mention his senior year and was chosen to play in the Indiana North-South All-Star game. His 0.42 ERA in 2017 is the second best in UC baseball history.
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INDIANAPOLIS- Liberty's own Denton “Mook” Shepler, a three-time All-TEC baseball player, can now add playing in the College World Series to his resume.
Shepler and the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds fell just short of a victory in their final game earlier this month. In the NCAA Division II Championship on June 5, the Hounds were down by seven runs taking on Cal State San Bernardino. With their last three outs to go, Shepler got his team started, singling to rightfield; after moving along the basepaths, a hit knocked in Shepler, scoring the first Hounds' run in the ninth inning. Four more runs would score as they mounted a comeback, but the Hounds came up two runs short in the 10-8 loss that ended their season.
Hounds' head coach Al Ready invited two of his UIndy players to the postgame press conference, one being Shepler. Ready's opening comment…
"First and foremost, let me just tell you how proud I am of my guys, especially these two guys sitting up here with me (Shepler, and Isaac Bair) right now. They've been with us four or five years; all the hard work and dedication that it takes to get to this stage. And these aren't the only ones of course. I can't say how proud I am of these guys."
Shepler's senior season with UIndy was the first time since 2016 that the Hounds took part in the NCAA tournament. They started as the seventh-seeded team in the Midwest regional and swept their competition, starting with an 11th inning win over Illinois Springfield. Shepler was instrumental in the win as he laid down a sacrifice hit that advanced the lead runner, allowing him to score two at-bats later, and give the Hounds the win.
UIndy then got busy knocking off #3 seed Maryville in two straight games 14-5 and 11-1. Their next matchup took them on the road to Quincy, Illinois, whom the Hounds beat 4-3 then 5-2, Shepler scored a run in each game, and the sweep over the Hawks sent Shepler's team to Cary, North Carolina to play in the DII Championships. The two and out format saw the Hounds fall twice to start the tournament. The first game they fell to Millersville 6-5 and ending with the loss to Cal State.
Shepler ends his college career with a .263 batting average, nine home runs, 67 RBI, and a .507 on-base percentage. He became a full-time starter in 2022 and tallied a .306 batting average with a .902 OPS. Shepler collected 34 hits, five doubles, and three home runs, while earning Academic All-GLVC honors. His senior season saw his home run total double, knocking six deep for the Hounds and collecting 38 RBI. Shepler graduated this Spring with a degree in accounting.
At Union County Shepler was a member of Jeff Mathews' final two sectional champion teams and a member of the 2018 TEC Champs. He was named All-State honorable mention his senior year and was chosen to play in the Indiana North-South All-Star game. His 0.42 ERA in 2017 is the second best in UC baseball history.