Player Intro: Colby Shelton

One of the most important parts of any baseball team is it’s shortstop. The defensive spine of the team, the guy who should field anything, the commander-in-chief of any good infield. For the Gators, that’s Colby Shelton. The junior has already spent a year in the Swamp after transferring in from Alabama, and is ready to play a big role in the 2025 success for the Gators.

Out of high school, he was highly recruited. He was the #2 Shortstop in the state of Florida and #76 prospect overall in the US. He was also a two-way athlete, competing in swimming. Shelton unfortunately made the imprecise choice of committing to the University of Alabama. Either way, he played out-of-his-mind: he slashed .300/.419/.729 for an OPS of 1.148, tied Charlie Condon’s SEC record of single-season freshman Home Runs (he hit 25 past the fence), and was rightfully a Freshman All-American.

Coming into 2024, Alabama coach Brad Bohannon was fired for leaking information to bettors and was eventually given a 15-year suspension by the NCAA. Even though things like this are probably regular business in Tuscaloosa, Colby Shelton made the wise choice to leave and transfer to the Gators. As a 2024 preseason All-SEC, expectations were big for Shelton coming into his first season in Gainesville.

Photo of Colby Shelton from Florida Baseball

Unfortunately, Shelton’s hitting took a hit, with his batting average coming in at .254. This number is undoubtedly still amazing, but not quite up to the numbers he was able to put up in Alabama. Regardless, his defensive abilities as the backbone of the team were still plain to see: he recorded 65 putouts and 163 assists, while only committing 6 errors. At the end of the season, he declared to the MLB Draft, and was drafted in the 20th round with the 590th pick by the Washington Nationals. He eventually made the choice to return to Gainesville.

Going into 2025, Shelton is expected to be the Gator’s starting shortstop. In what could be his final season here, he’ll be one of the more important pieces in the team. His defining defensive performances coupled with a return to batting form could be exactly what the Gators need to go to Omaha.