Shelton State Baseball Team Receives Championship Rings
Shelton State Baseball Team Receives Championship Rings
TUSCALOOSA – The 2024 Shelton State baseball was back on campus Monday night for a ring ceremony.
The Bucs received their championship rings from last year's banner season.
Shelton State (44-19, 28-8 ACCC) won the ACCC Championship and Region XXII Championship to advance to the NJCAA World Series for the seventh time in school history. The Bucs set the school record with 28 conference wins en route to the 17th ACCC Division Championship. The 44 wins tied for the 2009 team for the third most wins in school history.
Head Coach Bobby Sprowl was inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame prior to the NJCAA World Series. Sprowl was also tabbed the ACCC and NJCAA South District Coach of the Year.
Assistant Coach Jake Vickerson was named the 2024 NJCAA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year.
Kyle Morrison and John Michael Pickens were first-team All-Americans.
Morrison was named the 2024 ACCC Co-Player of the Year. He won the 2024 ACCC Batting Title after finishing the season with .450 (85-for-189) batting average. The .450 average is the second-highest single-season batting average in school history.
He became the Bucs all-time home run leader with his 19th career home run in the first inning against NW Florida State at the NJCAA World Series. He broke the previous record of 18 career home runs held by Clay Jones (2007-08) and John David Kubiszyn (2017-18). Morrison is also the school's all-time leader with 37 career doubles.
Pickens was the 2024 ACCC Relief Pitcher of the Year. He led the ACCC and ranked second nationally with 11 saves. Pickens recorded 53 strikeouts in 35 innings and finished with a 1.26 ERA.
Mason Steele was the 2024 NJCAA Two-Way Player of the Year. He hit .338 with four home runs and 40 RBI in 55 games as a freshman. On the mound, Steele was 7-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 13 starts. He recorded 50 strikeouts in 45 innings.
Shelton State opens the 2025 season with a home game this Thursday, Feb. 6 against Marion Military at 2 p.m.