The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/672211
MAY 2016 ■ 59 "Neither one of them has as much power as their daddy had," Avent said. "He could mash." Avent would know. He's coached all three Shepards. In addition to coaching Chance and Shane the last few years at NC State, Avent was on the staff at Louisburg College in 1986 when Steve was a fresh- man there, then was on Ray Tanner's first coaching staff in 1988 when Steve was a junior for the Wolfpack. "Steve was such a good player," Avent said. "He had great power, and he seemed comfortable anywhere you put him. He played first base, the outfield, pitched some for us. He was just so versatile and such a good player." A Wilmington, N.C., native, Steve bat- ted .325 with nine homers and 44 RBI as a junior in '88. A year later, he earned first- team All-ACC honors after hitting .284 and leading the conference with 18 home runs and 62 RBI. He was the fourth and last NC State player to lead the ACC in both hom- ers and RBI in the same season, joining Rick Richardson (1972), Tracy Woodson (1984) and Turtle Zaun (1988). After graduating, Steve began a career in sales. He and his wife Candace, also an NC State graduate, lived and worked in Florida for a time, spent 16 years in Raleigh and eventually settled back in Wilmington. Chance and Shane came along in 1994 and 1996, respectively, and began playing baseball shortly thereafter. Only two years apart in age, they were frequent teammates growing up — in Little League, AAU travel ball, American Legion and Wilmington's New Hanover High School. They're teammates once again, but there was a time when it was uncertain both Shepards would wind up at NC State. There was never any doubt about Chance. Shane, on the other hand, looked around a bit before committing to the Wolfpack. "From the time he was about six years old, Chance was never going anywhere but NC State," Steve said. "Even when the draft was coming up his senior year of high school, he went to some workouts that scouts were running and came back and said he wasn't going to sign even if he was drafted. He said, 'I want to play Major League Baseball someday, but my dream is to play baseball at NC State.' That's how determined he was to play here." Unlike his brother, Shane flirted with other schools, especially Florida State, no doubt scaring Avent half to death in the process, but when it came time to make his decision, family trumped all other consid- erations. "It was always in the back of my mind that my dad played here and that Chance was here," Shane said. "I was always around here as a young kid, and it just felt comfortable to me. It felt like home and that was why I made my decision to come here." Neither brother found instant stardom in Raleigh. Chance played in just seven games as a freshman in 2013 before set- tling in as a part-time player the last two seasons. He made his breakthrough last June at the NCAA Fort Worth Regional. With two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the Wolfpack trailing host TCU 4-3, Chance stepped in against All- America closer Riley Ferrell. After fouling off one pitch and taking another for ball one, Chance crushed a 97-mph fastball for a two-run home run to dead center field, way out of Lupton Stadium, a notorious pitcher's park. "That home run was huge," Chance said. "That whole series of games in Fort Worth really gave me a lot of confidence. I made consistent contact and hit several balls hard. That helped me feel like I could play at the college level." That home run also taught Chance the joy of going deep on the road. "The coolest thing was how the crowd went dead silent when I hit that ball," he said. "That was a crazy environment, a packed house, everyone screaming, and Riley Ferrell was their guy on the mound. That home run just kind of pulled the plug. That was the best part." This season, a hot bat and improved de- fense behind the plate have made Chance an everyday player. His ninth-inning home run against Wright State began a streak of home runs in six consecutive games, a school record, and seven of eight games overall. Steve Shepard (middle) played at NC State in 1988-89, and now his sons, Shane (left) and Chance (right), are carrying on the family's Wolfpack tradition. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS