Samford University Athletics

Samford Baseball Head Coach Tony David announced on Monday, July 3 the return of Cam Shepherd to the coaching staff as assistant coach. 

Shepherd is heading into his second season on Coach David’s coaching staff and will be adding recruiting duties to his list of responsibilities in 2023-24 while also handling the outfield coaching duties and assisting with the infielders and all hitters.

“Cam did an incredible job for us in his first year with our program and played a key role in our success,” Coach David said. “Right out of the gate, he over a significant portion of the hitting duties and helped with the defensive instruction of both the infield and outfielders. He has proven to be a perfect fit for our program, university, and culture as a team.”

Shepherd arrived at Samford in the fall of 2022 after serving as an assistant coach with the Gainesville Gol'Diggers of the Sunbelt Baseball League that summer, a collegiate summer league based out of Georgia and Alabama. Under Shepherd's tutelage, the Gol'Diggers have posted a league-best .767 winning percentage while clinching the east division with a record of 23-7.

A four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Shepherd started and played in all 198 games for the Bulldogs during his four-year tenure in Athens. He posted a .261 batting average with 45 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs, and 119 runs batted in.

Shepherd compiled a .970 career fielding percentage at Georgia, which serves as the highest career fielding percentage in program history by a shortstop. The Duluth, Ga. native set the single-season Bulldog record in 2019 for fielding percentage by a shortstop at .987, earning him SEC All-Defensive Team honors and an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award as the nation's top Division I shortstop. He became the first shortstop to go the entire 30-game league schedule and not make an error since the SEC recognized an All-Defensive Team starting in 2008. In that 2019 season, Shepherd fielded 1.000 in 109 total chances against SEC opponents. 

In his career, Shepherd has been drafted twice. He was a 20th-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 but opted to return to UGA for his senior season. Following his senior year at Peachtree Ridge High School, he was the 29th-round selection of the Boston Red Sox in the 2016 MLB Draft.

In 2020, Shepherd signed with the Atlanta Braves but was unable to play until the 2021 season due to COVID-19. Shepherd played one season with the Augusta Greenjackets before retiring from professional baseball.

Shepherd's work ethic stood out in the hiring process for Coach David. "I knew going in he was an incredible player at Georgia, but one thing that stood out was that he was a four-year SEC Academic Honor Roll guy. He is intelligent and took pride in his success on and off the field. He comes highly recommended for how hard he works, and his demeanor will be a great fit for our players and staff."