5 Things To Know As Shelton State Preps For NJCAA World Series

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Shelton State Community College will once again compete on junior college baseball's biggest stage later this month after the Bucs (39-15, 23-9 ACCC) punched their ticket to the 2021 NJCAA World Series with an impressive 22-6 win over Wallace-Dothan on Wednesday to claim the ACCC tournament championship.

The NJCAA World Series is set to begin at Sam Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colorado on May 29, leaving the Bucs roughly two weeks to rest and sharpen their skills before making the long trip in the hopes of bringing back a national title to Tuscaloosa.

Tuscaloosa Patch caught up with Shelton State baseball coach Bobby Sprowl this week to hear about his approach going into his fifth NJCAA World Series and compiled five storylines we think are worth paying attention to.

Five Things To Know

1. Avoiding the layoff — The field of teams is still being decided for the World Series, but Sprowl told Patch he doesn't plan to change up anything for his guys in the interim as he looks out over the next two weeks of practice.

Coach's take: "We’ll just do our regular practice and try and get maybe an inter-squad game or two to keep our guys sharp at the plate so they don’t have a two-week layoff. A lot of the teams are still playing, so [the lag period] won’t mean much to them."

2. Standout performers — The ACCC Tournament saw several Shelton State stars showcase their skills and receive honors as a result. Receiving All-District recognition were Colby Smelley (catcher); Garrett McMillan (pitcher); Drake Logan (infield). Sprowl was also named ACCC South District Coach of the Year.

Coach's take: "Any time you get out to a big lead like that [in the ACCC championship final], it’s a little relaxing and on the flip side, you never want to lose. For the most part, the game was over by the fifth or sixth inning, but both teams were able to stay under control and kept emotions from getting hot."

3. At the plate — The Bucs' bats were on fire late in the ACCC Tournament and they will look to maintain that momentum when making the trip to Colorado. Colby Smelley, Walt Bailey and Drake Logan are currently tied for the team lead in home runs with seven each, while Smelley also leads the Bucs with the highest batting average (.435) for hitters with more than 100 at-bats. As a team, the Bucs hit .321 during the 2021 season with 38 homers and 386 runs scored over 54 ballgames.

Coach's take: "From the beginning [of the tournament] our team really hit. We had the one game where we got shut out and we didn’t play good. I think we were a little too aggressive at the plate, but from the beginning we hit and our pitchers for the most part all seemed to be under control and that’s the biggest thing."

4. On the mound — The Bucs will make the trip to Colorado with not one, but two ACCC Pitchers of the Year after freshman and former Hillcrest High Patriot Garrett McMillan (11-0, 2.08 ERA) was named ACCC Northern Division Pitcher of the Year on Friday. Sophomore Jackson Reynolds was the recipient of the award in 2019, before posting a 7-1 record in 2021 with a 2.30 ERA over 74.1 innings of work. The starting rotation will be rounded out by former TCHS Wildcat Grant Hickman (5-6, 4.09 ERA), who Sprowl also praised for his contributions.

Out of the bullpen, the Bucs will lean on lefty freshman Kyle Chastine, another Hillcrest Patriot, along with Moulton native Ty Hutto, who put in an impressive performance in the Bucs' win in the championship final on Wednesday.

5. Another Trip for Sprowl — Few college baseball coaches, much less at the junior college level, carry the level of respect from their colleagues and competitors like 65-year-old Bobby Sprowl. Over the course of more than three decades, the former big leaguer and University of Alabama star pitcher has forged one of the strongest JUCO baseball programs in the country, winning more than 1,000 games and five ACCC titles. The trip to Colorado later this month will also mark the fifth time Sprowl has led the Bucs to Grand Junction, with the most recent appearance coming in 2012 that saw Shelton State finish third in the country.

Coach's take: "It’ll be the same as always [when the Bucs make the trip to the World Series]. The first time was an experience and you don’t know what to expect, and it doesn’t shell shock you, but you try to play it like you do a regular tournament. It’s important to win games early because of the days off, but we’re going to try to do the same things we always do ... it's going to be a great experience for the kids."

Other notes

• More room will be needed in the trophy case for sophomore catcher Colby Smelley, who was named the MVP of the ACCC Tournament. Smelley was absolutely locked in at the plate, going an eye-popping 16-for-30 over six games with a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs.
• Shelton State has a total of 12 players from the west Alabama region, which is a point of pride for Sprowl, who said it speaks to the high level of local talent. These players include: Griffin Eldridge (Hillcrest), Walt Bailey (Hillcrest), Logan Bowers (Tuscaloosa County), Tyler Thomasson (Jasper), Kyle Chastine (Hillcrest), Garrett Mangione (Bessemer Academy), Colby Smelley (Hillcrest), Grant Hickman (Tuscaloosa County), Garrett McMillan (Hillcrest), Reese Lipscomb (Northridge), Sam Harris (Hamilton) and Tanner Giles (Tuscaloosa County).

Be sure to follow the Bucs via Tuscaloosa Patch as they make their way to the NJCAA World Series later this month. We will provide updates and more in the coming weeks!

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