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Key Florida Gators Player Announces Return to Gainesville

The Florida Gators were hit hard by the MLB Draft, but they're getting a key piece back for next season.

Kyle Lander

Florida Gators shortstop Colby Shelton will turn down MLB and return to Gainesville.
Florida Gators shortstop Colby Shelton will turn down MLB and return to Gainesville. / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
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Florida Gators starting shortstop Colby Shelton announced on X on Monday his return to Gainesville for next season. Shelton was a big coup out of the transfer portal last year and filled the gap that former Gator Josh Rivera left at the shortstop heading into 2024. 

There were high hopes for Shelton entering the season after an impressive freshman year with Alabama where he hit .300 and smashed 25 homers. 

However, he wasn’t able to maintain the same level of performance in his sophomore year with Florida. However, he was still impressive with the Gators in 2024. He slashed .254/.374/.551 with 20 homers, 14 doubles and 56 RBI. His .925 OPS was third on the team behind Jac Caglianone (1.419) and Ty Evans (.987).

One of the reasons he didn’t match his freshman year was because of his inability to limit the strikeouts. He had 82 last season. 

Now, it wasn’t the season he would’ve preferred in year one with the Gators, but Shelton still had important plays throughout. He was one of the big reasons they even made it to Omaha. 

In an elimination game against Oklahoma State in the Stillwater Regional, he launched a three-run homer that gave them the lead and ultimately the win that put them in position for a winner-take-all rematch against the same opponents. 

Getting Shelton back is massive for Kevin O’Sullivan as it solidifies his infield and returns a bat that has tons of power. When pairing Shelton and the incoming transfers O’Sullivan brought in, the infield should look something like Bobby Boser at third base, Shelton at shortstop, Cade Kurland at second base and Justin Nadeau/Brody Donay/Luke Heyman at first base. 

This will be a top infield in the SEC and the Gators will certainly be a top team nationally heading into 2025 with this piece of news. 

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Kyle Lander
KYLE LANDER

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