Shepherd brings big bat to Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Coming out of high school, Devin Shepherd had a chance to jump ahead in his journey toward the major leagues. He decided against skipping the step in between.<br/><br/>Despite getting

Wednesday, January 24th 2007, 8:56 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Coming out of high school, Devin Shepherd had a chance to jump ahead in his journey toward the major leagues. He decided against skipping the step in between.

Despite getting drafted in the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins, the slugging outfielder from California signed on to play college baseball at Oklahoma.

Shepherd was an all-state selection after hitting .406 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs for Oxnard (California's) Union High School last year. The 6-foot-2 slugger also stole 25 bases.

At Oklahoma, Shepherd will be expected to help fill a hole in a Sooners' lineup that lost its top four hitters in batting average, home runs and RBIs. But he isn't getting any pressure to produce from Sooners coach Sunny Golloway.