The Illinois State baseball team added a pair of local prep stars to its roster when head coach Jeff Stewart announced that Normal West High School standouts, Chris Shepherd and Jake Stewart, were the newest additions to his squad.
Were excited to add both of these young men to the program. Weve had the luxury of watching them develop together over the years and we just know that theyll make great additions to our squad. Stewart said.
Shepherd and Stewart, who have teamed together since little league, will join twin city products Ryan Cantrell, Lance McMillan, Kevin ODell and Jake Perganson on the Redbird roster next year.
The versatile duo, which helped lead a solid Wildcat team to the regional championship game of the state tournament this spring, should be able to make an immediate impact on a Redbird baseball program which has set school records for wins and produced nine pro prospects over the last three years.
Stewart likes the mentality his new recruits bring to the table.
These guys are winners, theyve won at every level over the years and we hope that wont be any different once they put on a Redbird uniform, Stewart said. Theres a lot that can be said about these guys, theyve been two of the best players in the inner city for the last two or three years and were just real happy that theyve decided to continue their careers at Illinois State.
Both players were selected to play in the Illinois Coaches Association All-Star Game in East Peoria while earning All-Big 12 Conference and Pantagraph All Star honors during their senior prep campaigns.
Shepherd, a strong-armed shortstop with a solid frame, earned team MVP honors during his senior campaign after hitting .438 with six homers, 14 doubles, 40 runs scored and a school record 52 runs batted in.
After winning a valiant battle against Hodgkins Disease, which cost him his entire sophomore season, Shepherd returned to baseball in fine form for his junior and senior campaigns.
We knew many years ago that Chris was going to be good enough to play for us, but he was slowed by his illness halfway through his high school career, Stewart said.
Chris hasnt fully recovered all of his strength from that battle, but his skills have really started to come back and we feel very fortunate that we were able to sign him, Stewart continued. Im sure Chris also feels very fortunate that hes finally able to continue to follow his dream at a higher level when a couple of years ago it looked like he wasnt going to have the chance to play again.
Since returning from his illness, Shepherd has terrorized opposing pitchers. In addition to his exploits during his senior year at Normal West, Shepherd has hit .360 with 21 doubles, 63 runs batted in and 81 runs scored over the last two summers of legion baseball for the Bloomington Post 56 bats.
Jeff Stewart, who has coached other peoples sons for the past 13 years, will have the opportunity to coach his own when his oldest son, Jake, hits the ISU campus in the fall.
The younger Stewart, who earned 2001 Normal West High School Male Athlete of the Year honors, will help to bolster a pitching rotation which lost four starters from the 2001 roster.
During his senior prep campaign, Stewart posted an 8-1 record and a 1.72 earned run average with 48 strikeouts and only 10 walks. For his career, the right-hander notched an 18-3 varsity record and a 3.30 ERA.
Over the last two summers with the Bloomington Post 56 bats, Stewart has been in command on the mound. Last summer, Stewart notched a perfect 7-0 record with a 2.68 ERA while posting a dominant 54-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This summer, Stewart owns a 4-1 record with a 1.23 ERA and an even more impressive 31-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
In addition to his work on the mound, Stewart tallied a .304 career batting average during his prep career and is hitting .333 with 19 RBI while seeing some action this summer in the outfield.
Coach Stewart relishes the opportunity to work with player Stewart.
I hope I can do as good a job as Jakes other coaches have done over the years, Stewart said. One of the biggest reasons Jake chose Illinois State was that this was going to be something that we would be able to experience together. He had opportunities to play at many other places but in the end it came down to us being able to spend the next four years on the same team. Whether he plays every minute of every game over the next four years or only plays minimally, this is something that were going to be able to go through as a father and son.
Shepherd and Stewart join a recruiting class which already includes Jake Blair, Kyle Bloom, Scott Bialobreski, Howie Frank and Jeff Reyes.
