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Braden Shepherd

@shepthepitcher

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followers

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free agent professional baseball player
mental performance, life balance, fitness, wellness
always learning & evolving
@bradenshepherd_

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My college career did not go as planned. I ended up at 3 schools in 4 years. Went through the yips, impostor syndrome, a few divorces within my family, times of depression, and lots of underwhelming performances. Since I was notified by the NCAA this past summer that I wouldn’t be getting a 5th year of eligibility, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my college career and wanted to share some of my thoughts in case they may help another athlete one day.

1. Think about your younger self. Whenever you fell in love with the game, whatever age that may be. Think of the pure joy that the game gave you. How you were just going out there and having the time of your life. Carefree, No stress, Just playing a game. The guys who are able to keep the same attitude as the game gets faster are the guys that don’t get sped up and are consistent. During college, I caught myself hyper-fixating on stats, numbers, and results rather than enjoying being able to play the game I have always loved. Baseball is important, but it is also a game. So have a freaking blast.

2. Playing college baseball is a blessing. So be present, and soak all of it in. The cool places you get to play at, the bus rides, meals with your teammates, 5AM lifts, everything that comes with it. Don’t take any of it for granted, only 6% of baseball players are privileged enough to make it that far.

3. Cherish your teammates. 4 years goes by super fast. Believe me. A lot of the coolest people I have ever met have been through baseball. The part that sucks is that I haven’t seen a lot of those guys since either our last game, or move out day, and may never see their face ever again. Unfortunately, that is just how life works. Make sure you create memories with the guys you are getting after it every day with. You might only have one season with them.

Enjoy the ride!

#athletemindset #baseball #collegebaseball #lifejourney
#lessonslearned by @shepthepitcher

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a month ago

you either want something or you don’t, there is no in between.

#athletemindset #motivation #consistency #thoughtoftheday #trainingmotivation by @shepthepitcher

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4 days ago

STOP NEGATIVE SELF-TALK, IT IS HOLDING YOU BACK!

You are who you say you are, not what your brain thinks in the heat of the moment. I was really bad with this for a long time. Stop yourself before you say a negative self-thought out loud. What you say about yourself becomes reality eventually, so make sure you are speaking positively about yourself.

#selftalk #freegame #athletemindset #selfbelief #baseball by @shepthepitcher

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7 days ago

day by day😌😌

#trusttheprocess #motivational #inspirational #athletemindset #keepgoing by @shepthepitcher

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9 days ago

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” -James 1:4

#selfbelief #gratitude #perseverance #athletemindset #neverquit by @shepthepitcher

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10 days ago

believe in yourself, and trust what God has planned for you💯💯

#selfbelief #motivation #athletemindset #realtalk #successfulmindset by @shepthepitcher

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13 days ago

rare physique update🫣

week 10: 212 lbs

can’t be weak and throw healthy heat.

18 days till pro tryout…

#athlete #baseballpitcher #mlb #95mph #gymbody by @shepthepitcher

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23 days ago

thought that last one was a least a 6 lol😭🔥

having lots of fun getting better with the GOAT @mason_mortimer34.

Week 1 we were 90-92, Week 9 we are at 93-95 and still climbing🦾🦾

#baseballreels #bullpen #pitching #freeagent #mlb by @shepthepitcher

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a month ago

Week 7 Bullpen: Emphasis on making adjustments quickly and not repeating same mistakes. In a game you don’t have time to feel pitches out, you just have to execute. FB and Sinker sat 93 today, with a few 94’s and a couple 92’s. Slider/Slurve/Splitter were all absolutely gross whenever thrown correctly. Was having the tendency to not get all the way through my offspeed at times but quick adjustments were made and that was the goal of the pen. Still 5 1/2 weeks till showcase day!

#baseballpitcher #bullpen #throwgas #95mph #baseballlifestyle by @shepthepitcher

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a month ago

This is a great post-high intent lift for pitchers, especially those with knee pain like myself. Adding a high-volume lift after a high intent session is essential rather than spreading the throw and lift out. Putting both high-stress activities in the same window will consolidate the stress instead of spreading the stress across multiple days.

“Swag isn’t a behavior, it’s an attitude”
-Unknown

#pitcherworkout #baseballworkouts #liftingweights #95mph #throwgas by @shepthepitcher

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2 months ago

Week 5 Bullpen Review: Arm action felt a bit less smooth this week, FB velo was 90-92. Secondaries were great. Slider was way more slurve-ish this week and was in the 80-83 range rather than 85-87. Splitter weirdly stayed in the 85-86 range. Sinker was solid this week as well and stayed in same velo range as 4 seam. Lower half and direction were pretty good overall yesterday. Overall, good pen this week from a pitching standpoint.

#bullpen #pitchingtraining #baseballpitcher #mlbbaseball #throwgas by @shepthepitcher

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2 months ago

Iso Day is always the quickest lift of the week but also the most challenging. As you can see my knee ROM isn’t great rn but is much better compared to where I was at day 1. Keep stacking the days!🙏🏽🙏🏽

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you are right.”
- Henry Ford

#baseballworkouts #isometrics #pitcher #throwgas #fitnessreels by @shepthepitcher

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2 months ago