Well, that didn’t take long. The 2026 DII baseball season opened Friday, Jan. 30, and by nightfall, we already had a bit of history made. USC Aiken true freshman Ben Shepherd hurled nine innings of no-hit baseball in a 10-0 victory over Mars Hill. It is believed to be the first no-hitter thrown in a DII baseball pitcher’s first career start, especially on opening day. It is also believed to be in rarified air as an opening day no-hitter (although this has yet to be verified).
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Shepherd, who has the makings of an intimidating workhorse standing at 6-foot-6, is no stranger to success. Attending Trion High School in Georgia, he was a two-time First Team All-Region pitcher, earning All-State honors as a senior and Region pitcher of the year in both his junior and senior seasons. That makes sense when you consider his favorite hurler of all-time is none other than the flame-throwing, strikeout artist known as The Ryan Express.
“I have always loved watching clips of Nolan Ryan pitch,” Shepherd told NCAA.com. “He is an extremely dominant pitcher and was just so tough on the mound. I modeled my windup to be just like his with the high leg kick. I even try to act like him with little emotion on the mound, but I’m always ready for anything.”
So, with so much turnover in the Pacers rotation, it seemed like a right fit, and Shepherd jumped right in… sort of. “When I found out I was getting the start I was pretty nervous,” Shepherd said. “But that quickly went away by being with my teammates. And at that point I was just going to give it my best.”
ICYMI:
A NO-HITTER for a collegiate debut?! Ben Shepherd of @USCABaseball in his FIRST time pitching in college baseball throws a NO-HITTER!
No player in Division II HISTORY has thrown a no-hitter in their first collegiate start! Take a look below at all five of his strikeouts… pic.twitter.com/MuZgFIoKy5
— D2 Baseball (@divIIbaseball) January 31, 2026
His best was even better than expected. The right-hander came out and retired the first three hitters in the Lions’ lineup on a line out, a fly out, and a foul out to first base. The Pacers helped their young righty settle in quickly, scoring two in the bottom half of the first. Salvatore Laimo drove in Yariel Diaz on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. That same combo would combine on the final out of Shepherd’s historic start.
The second inning was more of the same, as Shepherd struck out Carter Potts to end the 1-2-3 frame, adding his first career strikeout to his resume. “I throw a fastball, slider, and change-up,” Shepherd said. “Everything was working really well; my pitch sequence with my fastball and slider was probably the most effective as far as getting roll overs and pop ups.”
The only blemish on Shepherd’s night was a fourth-inning walk. It was an inning later that the young righty had a sense of what was transpiring. “I had realized around the fifth inning when I had gotten back to the dugout,” Shepherd recalled. “That’s when everyone had stopped saying stuff to me, and that’s when I realized what was going on.”
And the rest, as they say, is history. Shepherd was nearly perfect, facing one batter over the minimum (28) and striking out five. Alejandro Aguilar, who Shepherd retired for the first out of his career, hit a ground ball to Laimo who threw it to Diaz for the 4-3 out, and Shepherd moved to 1-0 on the season behind the second-ever no-hitter in USC Aiken’s DII history.
“I was a little nervous,” Shepherd admitted, recollecting the final at bat. “The batter I was facing is a really solid hitter and was the only one to get on base that game. I knew that it was going to take good pitches to get him out.
“I started the at-bat off with a change-up below the zone and got a chase. Then went back to the change-up for a strike; and ended the at-bat with a challenge fastball that he put in play to get the final out. When the ball was hit to Sal, I knew that we had done it. I had a great defense behind me the whole game and no one better than Sal to close out the game.”
It will be tough to replicate Shepherd’s performance next weekend, especially against a very tough Emory & Henry lineup. You can be sure all eyes are on Shepherd, seeing just how long it takes for someone to get that first hit off of him.
