Bama Central

Alabama's Home Run Leader Commits to SEC Foe

The star freshman will return to his home state and play for the Florida Gators.

Katie Windham

Alabama Athletics

After entering the transfer portal last week, Alabama's star freshman Colby Shelton announced on social media Thursday afternoon that he would be transferring to Florida. 

Shelton led the Crimson Tide in home runs in 2023 with 25, setting the Alabama record for home runs by a freshman. He hit .300 with 51 RBIs and 33 walks. 

He started 59 games for Alabama last season at third base and earned Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball News and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Shelton was also named to the 2023 Freshman All-SEC Team. 

The third baseman entered the portal days after Rob Vaughn was announced as the new head coach of the Crimson Tide. He is one of at least five Alabama players to enter the portal this offseason, but is by far the biggest name. However, fellow Alabama freshman all-American Alton Davis has already announced his intentions to return for another year at Alabama. 

Shelton is from Lithia, Florida and will be returning to his home state to play for the Gators. Florida won the SEC regular season title this year. The Gators are the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and currently still playing in Omaha at the Men's College World Series with their ticket punched to the finals against either No. 1 Wake Forest or No. 5 LSU. 

See also:

Alabama Baseball 2023 Offseason Tracker

Who is Rob Vaughn? An Exclusive Q&A with Alabama Baseball’s New Head Guy

What Colby Shelton Entering Portal Means for Alabama Baseball: Just a Minute

Published
Katie Windham
KATIE WINDHAM

Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports. 

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