Baseball | February 05, 2026

DALLAS – USCA freshman Ben Shepherd has been named the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week, which was announced Thursday.

Shepherd, a native of Trion, Ga., etched his name into the USCA record books by throwing the program's second no-hitter in their Division II era in a 10-0 nightcap victory over Mars Hill. The freshman right-hander allowed just one walk and struck out five over 9.0 innings, throwing only 91 pitches.

Shepherd recorded 15 fly-ball outs and seven groundouts in the historic outing. According to the NCAA, he is believed to be the first student-athlete to throw a no-hitter in his collegiate debut and the first to accomplish the feat on Opening Day.

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport.
Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Howser Award Player of the Year, Regional Player of the Year
and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America awards, publication and writing contests.