FULTON — Old school.
Whether it’s the handshake he uses to greet you or the wood bat he uses to torment pitchers, those words perfectly describe Jacob Shempert’s approach and love for the game of baseball.
Hours of swings have hardened the handshake. Years of crafting have molded what began as a passion into a skill that few in the state of Mississippi can match.
That’s why it isn’t surprising to listen to Shempert talk about the game he loves. His words are measured because he knows the game he loves is based more on failure than success. He also is humble because he realizes that as blessed as he is, there are many more who share his passion who are even more talented.
But those thoughts don’t faze Shempert. This season, Shempert showed there wasn’t much that could affect his focus on being the best he could be. Even though pitcher isn’t his primary position, Shempert took on the role of the ace of the Oak Hill Academy pitching staff.
Shempert also didn’t let the a whopping 38 intentional walks deter him from being a leader at the plate and off the field for the Raiders.
For his accomplishments, Shempert is The Dispatch’s All-Area Baseball Player of the Year.
“The way any baseball player, a true baseball player, carries himself should be as a leader,” Shempert said. “Any true baseball player is going to want the best for his team and to do the things that help his team more than they help himself.”
Shempert led Oak Hill Academy with a .604 batting average. Thirty-eight of his 46 walks were intentional. He also had 29 hits (nine doubles and three home runs), 35 runs, 20 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases. He only struck out once.
Shempert was equally dominant on the mound, going 11-3 with a 1.91 ERA. He struck out 110 and walked 12 in 80 innings. Two of Shempert’s losses came in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA playoffs against Marshall Academy. He suffered those losses playing with a tear in his abdomen that caused internal bleeding, and later discovered he had suffered a tear in his intestinal wall.
Through it all, Bratton said Shempert, a transfer from Houston High School, did whatever was asked of him and brought a presence to the locker room that his players gravitated to.
“He helped some of my younger boys grow up,” Bratton said. “He came over and was a good leader for them. When he took batting practice, he took it serious and set an example. Most of the time he would take 200 cuts a day.”
Bratton used Shempert at pitcher, catcher, third base, shortstop, first base, and in the outfield. The first-team All-MAIS performer and second-team All-State selection by The Clarion-Ledger will take his talents to Itawamba Community College in the fall. He signed a scholarship earlier this month, and anticipates playing catcher and designated hitter, outfield, and, possibly, pitcher.
Shempert will hone his talents in the next few months with the Mississippi Dukes, a travel baseball team coached by Duke McCrory, Shempert’s hitting coach.
McCrory met Shempert four to five years ago at a baseball tournament. McCrory was watching Shempert hit and just happened to be sitting next to Jacob’s father.
“When I was 13 or 14 years old, (McCroy) told my dad, he said, ‘That guy will hit in the SEC one day,’ ” Shempert said. “He didn’t know who my dad was. He told me dad that and my dad kind of laughed.”
The more baseball Shempert played, the more he realized McCrory was someone to listen to, so Jacob worked harder and harder and eventually hooked up with McCrory to maximize his God-given talent.
“What was so different way his instincts at 12 or 13 years old,” said McCrory, who owns The Dome, an indoor training facility for baseball in Batesville. “It was just unheard of, the jumps on the ball he would get and the sound of the ball of his bat. From that point on he was in my life every week, whether it was working on hitting and or defense.”
Shempert is maximizing his time with McCrory by living in Oxford with his coach. The time together gives Shempert even more time to fine-tune his swing and to work on his skills as a catcher so he is ready when he reports to ICC.
McCrory said Shempert has been like a “sponge” and has quickly picked up everything he has tried to teach him. He believes Shempert has a bright future in the sport.
“He is one of those kids who is relentless and is going to make it one day,” McCrory said. “He is a true competitor and all his teammates, no matter what team he is on, just gravitate to him. The little kids look up to him, and he relates to them really well and he helps the young kids on the field.”
Shempert sees his work with younger kids as his responsibility. That might be another reason why it’s easy to say he is old school.
“You just lead by example and do the things you know you’re supposed to do,” Shempert said. “You might not think so, but people you don’t even realize look up to you. People who are older than you sometimes look up to you because the way you do things. No matter where I am, I am going to do what I know I need to be doing to get better for that at-bat or that game. I am going to keep working to do what I need to do.”
Shempert hesitates to call himself a leader because he said it isn’t something he tries to be. Instead, he said he never has been one to separate himself or who has considered himself shy. He said he didn’t try to be a different player or person for his senior year at Oak Hill Academy and just came ready to play every day.
“I know I am good, and I carry myself that way, but I do it in a humble way not to show off and not to say, ‘Hey, everyone, look at me, I play baseball,’ ” Shempert said. “I know I am good at baseball, and I love baseball, so I am going to keep doing it because I am good at it. But there is always somebody out there who is better than you. There always is.
“It was fun (playing at Oak Hill Academy). It was a good experience getting to play everywhere. Being able to see the different areas when the game is going on helps you because you know all of the things that could happen.”
The more Shempert talks about baseball, you sense everything has been leading to this point in his life. He said he has been playing baseball ever since he could walk and that he has been swinging a bat ever since he could remember. It’s fitting then that his family members told him the first word he said was “ball.”
That doesn’t surprise McCrory, who appreciates Shempert’s passion and dedication to the game. He said Shempert will help him when he gives individual baseball lessons. When there are breaks, he said Shempert will squeeze in 30-40 swings to stay fresh. He said Shempert also will study video of his swing and then will work on refining it.
“In the past seven or eight years Jacob is probably the most talented I have come across in my life with the physical upside he brings to the game,” McCrory said. “I have a lot of guys work really hard, but he is so talented that words can not describe.”
That’s why it helps to be old school. Comments like those — even from someone who considers himself an older brother — don’t distract Shempert. The words just give him a better idea of how hard he needs to work to make the most of his potential.
“I want to play the game as long as I can, whether it is doing it for a living or doing it while I am getting an education,” Shempert said. “It is something you don’t take for granted. You never take for granted what you can do that other people can’t, and you always do it to your full potential.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.