One-on-One with Colby Shelton: Slugger Finds His Florida Footing

“Leader by example.” That’s how Florida’s Colby Shelton views himself, both in his approach to the game of baseball and the game of life.

Since his arrival in Gainesville this past fall, Shelton has made a seamless step into a leadership role for the Florida baseball program. After former UF standout Josh Rivera departed for the 2023 MLB draft, the Gators found themselves in need of a new starting shortstop.

Enter Shelton, coming fresh off of a breakthrough freshman campaign with the University of Alabama. The freshman All-American had entered the transfer portal after Crimson Tide coach Brad Bohannon was ousted midway through the 2023 season.

Coming off one of its best seasons in program history, Florida wasted no time in going after Shelton. Between his powerful presence at the plate and the team’s hard-nosed culture, Shelton landing with the Gators felt like a match made in heaven. Exactly one week after entering the portal, Shelton announced he had found a new home: Gainesville, Florida.

“What stood out to me about the Gators is their culture,” Shelton said. “They win a lot and go to Omaha [often]. But I really want to win a national championship.”

Now more than a month into his inaugural season as a Gator, Shelton has already made his presence known at Condron Family Ballpark. Shelton ranks second on the team in home runs (13) and tied for second in RBIs (27), all while compiling a .271 batting average and 1.085 OPS.

Shelton was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List this week. The nomination all but cemented Shelton’s status as one of the top players in college baseball.

But none of these stats or accolades mean much to Shelton. From the moment he stepped foot in Gainesville, he has only had one goal in mind: making it to Omaha. After falling in the NCAA Super Regional with the Crimson Tide last season, Shelton will look to help the Gators chase down their first College World Series championship since 2017.

Stepping Onto The Scene In Style

Baseball has always run in Shelton’s blood. His parents met in storybook fashion at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. Shelton’s mother, Bonnie, played softball at UNC-Charlotte, while his father, Eric, was on the school’s baseball team. Considering his family lineage, it only made sense for Shelton to follow in his parents’ footsteps.

“I started play when I was T-ball age, and I haven’t stopped playing since then,” Shelton said. “[My parents] have many things they can teach me about the game. They never forced anything on me… I just love the game.”

While he had always shown plenty of athletic prowess in his youth, Shelton blossomed into a star at Bloomingdale High School. In his junior season with the Bloomingdale Bulls, Shelton led the team in batting average, OPS and home runs en route to a Class 6A state championship.

Soon enough, the accolades and recognition started pouring in. PerfectGame awarded Shelton with a perfect prospect grade prior to his senior season, while PrepBaseball Report slated him as a top 100 recruit in the nation.

“Over time, I just kept improving my skill set each year,” Shelton said. “Just stacking good days after good days, that’s what a good baseball player does. That’s how you have these long careers… If you keep getting better every day, you’re going to be on a good path.”

Migrating From Tuscaloosa To Gainesville

Following a successful high school tenure, Shelton landed in Tuscaloosa to start his collegiate career. He made an immediate splash with the Crimson Tide, leading the team in home runs (25) and OPS (1.148) in the 2023 campaign. Shelton’s high-powered bat helped lead Alabama to its first regional victory since 2010.

The Crimson Tide came up short against the top-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the NCAA Super Regionals. Even as the 2023 campaign came to a close, however, Alabama’s offseason drama was just getting started.

Near the end of the regular season, the Crimson Tide fired then-coach Bohannon for his links to “suspicious betting activity”. With a new coaching staff and potential program rebuild now on the horizon, Shelton decided it was time for him to find a new home.

“[Alabama] was a great school, and we had a great team,” Shelton said. “We had a new coaching change, so I thought it’d be better for me to see if I can go somewhere else and see what’s out there.”

Colby Shelton sets an Alabama freshman home run record with his 16th ‼️💣 pic.twitter.com/Fz0D7oKqzh

— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) April 26, 2023

In the same week Shelton entered the transfer portal, the Gators were in Omaha for the College World Series. Florida kept on piling win after win, eventually clinching a berth in the MCWS Finals in a thrilling victory over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Around this time, Shelton had an epiphany. He wanted more than nothing else to make it to Omaha himself. And the University of Florida was the perfect school for him to accomplish that goal.

“There’s a little edge with the Florida Gators, and that edge is what gets us over the hump,” Shelton said. “We work hard, we compete hard, and we’re just going to outwork anyone.”

Putting In The Work On And Off The Diamond

Upon landing at UF, Shelton had enormous shoes to fill at shortstop following Rivera’s departure. Rivera, who played an integral role in Florida’s run to the College World Series Finals, was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the 2023 MLB draft.

Shelton had already proven himself as a stellar player. Living up to Rivera’s presence both at the plate and in the infield pushed him to improve his game in new ways. With room to still grow in his fielding and overall mobility, Shelton made it a key point to slim down in the offseason.

“Obviously, I’m a physical kid, but more of this offseason, I focused on my diet so I could lose a little bit more weight,” Shelton said. “I did my diet and focused on more explosive movements in the gym to help me move better on the field.”

Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan praised Shelton on multiple occasions for his work ethic, both on and off the field. Whether he’s in the batting cages or the weight room, Shelton can almost always be found in the team facilities fine-tuning his craft.

“He’s a grinder,” O’Sullivan said. “He does the same thing every day. He comes to the ballpark, gets his early work in and his late work in.”

Shelton, in turn, credits O’Sullivan for how much he has already grown in his time with the Gators.

“Coach O’Sullivan is awesome. He really cares about all of us,” Shelton said. “We have a really good relationship, open, honest. He holds everyone to a high standard, and he’s a player’s coach.”

Fitting Like A Glove With The Gators

As soon as Shelton took the field at Condron Ballpark, he knew he had found his home. His first hit as a Gator came via a moonshot over the right field wall and onto Hull Road. From there, the man now known as “Beltin’ Shelton” never looked back.

Shelton’s electrifying presence at the plate has provided a spark for this Gators to keep them rolling in their quest back to Omaha. From his walk-off over the Saint Mary’s Gaels on March 8 to knocking a pair of homers over the defending-champion LSU Tigers, there never seems to be a dull moment when Shelton takes to the batter’s box.

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“When you have somebody like Colby Shelton in the lineup… It’s just a lot more fun and a lot more relaxed,” UF two-way star Jac Caglianone said. “Throughout the whole lineup, it gives people a lot less pressure.”

The 2024 season, however, has not been perfect for Shelton. He has endured his share of woes, including a mid-March slump that saw him go hitless in back-to-back weekends. But Shelton never refuses to give in: he always finds a way to break through and get back on track.

“There’s always ups and downs in any season,” Shelton said. “You just have to go out there, stick with the process and keep moving forward. What happened yesterday is different from what’s going to happen today.”

Legend Of ‘Beltin’ Shelton’ Grows

The spotlight on Shelton only continues to grow. In their midseason player rankings, D1 Baseball ranked him as the top shortstop in the country. But Shelton still refuses to let any of the buzz get to his head. His approach has always remained the same.

“I don’t let my emotions get too high or too low, or they get the best of me,” Shelton said. “I just always try to stay even keel.”

With less than two months remaining in the regular season, the Gators sit at No. 6 in the country. UF (17-11, 6-3 SEC) begins a series at Missouri (12-18, 1-8) starting Friday at 7 p.m. (SEC Network+, ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).

But when attending a game at Condron Ballpark, you can always count on at least one thing: Colby Shelton will find a way to put on a show.