Gaylord's Alexis Shepherd latest to choose college destination, commits to Toledo
GAYLORD ― In the latest show of the Gaylord softball team's strength and success, yet another Blue Devil player has made the decision to continue their softball career at the college level.
Alexis Shepherd, a member of the Class of 2024, made her college plans official this weekend, announcing her commitment to play softball at the University of Toledo after graduation.
"The coaching staff was really inviting, and they valued me as a player," Shepherd said about why Toledo was best for her. "What stuck out to me was the mentality that the coaches were preaching to the players."
Shepherd had a successful sophomore campaign in 2022, starting most games at second base while helping the team come home with their second-straight Big North Conference Championship and MHSAA Division 2 District Championship.
She was honored as a second-team All-BNC member for her efforts, logging a .447 batting average with 23 runs batted in and 47 runs scored.
Shepherd is the fourth member of GHS program to commit to a college program this school year and the second to go to a Division I school, joining her middle infield mate and fellow junior Jayden Jones who committed to D1 Virginia Tech, as well as senior Alexis Kozlowski at D2 Ferris State and junior Taylor Moeggenberg at NAIA Cornerstone University.
Toledo is coached by Jessica Bracamonte, a first-time head coach in her first year as the Rockets' leader. She was previously an assistant at Duke, coaching outfielders and slappers and assisting with overall offensive strategies. In the 2022 campaign, Bracamonte helped the Blue Devils achieve their first-ever 40-win regular season and NCAA Super Regional appearance.
The Blue Devils went 110-23 in the three years Bracamonte was on the staff.
Before Duke, she spent seven years in Mount Pleasant, Mich. with Central Michigan, helping guide the Chippewas to a Mid-American Conference tournament appearance in every season and a regular season championship in 2017.
Shepherd likely won't be the last member of the GHS softball roster to find a home at the next level, but for now, their attention is turned on making a deeper run into the MHSAA postseason after a heartbreaking loss to Escanaba in the MHSAA D2 regional finals last year.
Certainly, the girls are using that disappointment as motivation in 2023.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord's Alexis Shepherd latest to choose college destination, commits to Toledo
