Drew Williamson explains how he saw Colby Shelton breakout freshman season coming

Alabama baseball’s season is over. Yet, with players like Colby Shelton still on the roster, the future in Tuscaloosa is bright.

On Saturday, Wake Forest ended the Crimson Tide’s season in a 22-5 blowout victory in Game 2 of the Winston-Salem Super Regional. The Demon Deacons will advance to the Men’s College World Series. Despite Alabama’s seniors’ sadness, they found time to discuss the future of Alabama baseball.

“I remember watching him the first week and I think I told him the second week, ‘You would be my pick for SEC Freshman of the Year,'” Alabama senior Drew Williamson said. “Did he hit 25 home runs? I didn’t expect that. I thought he might hit 15, but hitting 25 home runs, that’s unbelievable.”

Shelton did more than crush bombs to right field, the 6-foot freshman recorded 51 RBIs while batting .300 in his debut campaign. The SEC awarded Shelton for his hard work, giving the Alabama infielder a spot on the Freshman All-SEC Team.

Not only was Shelton a great player, but a great teammate, too.

“Beyond the performance aspect that everybody sees, we got to see how hard of a worker and how great of a teammate and just how great of a guy Colby is,” Williamson said. “That is what produced the results and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

The results speak for themselves. Shelton owns the Alabama single-season home run record with 25, the third-most in Crimson Tide single-season history. The Florida native received recognition outside of the SEC.

Shelton was selected as a Midseason First Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game USA and selected as a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Williamson isn’t the only senior who took a liking to Shelton.

“I love that kid. He obviously cracks me up sometimes in the field,” Alabama senior Jim Jarvis said. “He earned it. It wasn’t just a fluke year. That kid deserved everything that happened to him, and like Drew said, it will continue to happen to him. He’s got the right attitude, he’s got the right mental. He’s just a special kid.”

Although Shelton couldn’t single-handedly will his seniors to the College World Series, head coach Rob Vaughn believes the experience will help Shelton in the long run.

“This time next year, or a year or two from now, when this next group gets back to this point, they’ll probably feel a little bit like, ‘We’ve been here. We know what to expect.'”