JaVon Shelby Earns Third Preseason All-America Honor
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky junior JaVon Shelby has been named a second-team preseason All-America honoree, it was announced by Baseball America on Monday afternoon.
A native of Lexington, Ky., Shelby has earned three different preseason All-America accolades in 2016. Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball have each honored the UK third baseman as a third-team preseason All-America selection.
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound slugger, Shelby spent his first two seasons as UK’s everyday second baseman. In the offseason, he has shifted across the diamond and is set to man third base during 2016.
A product of Lexington’s Tates Creek High School, Shelby enters 2016 as the leading returnee among SEC players in OPS in conference play (1.073). In Southeastern Conference play in 2015, Shelby ranked only behind national player of the year Andrew Benintendi and senior slugger Kyle Martin in OPS. Defensively, he has led all SEC second baseman in assists for two seasons.
Shelby finished 2015 with a .312 average (63-for-202) with nine homers and 44 RBI. He had a .525 slugging percentage and ranked ninth in the SEC with a .442 on-base percentage. As a freshman in 2014, Shelby earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors, hitting .250 with four homers and 21 RBI.
An infectious personality in the clubhouse, JaVon comes from a decorated baseball family that includes his father John T., an 11-year MLB veteran and the first-base coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, and his older brother John, who belted 33 homers and drove in 131 runs during 2004-06 for the Wildcats. John earned All-SEC honors in 2006 after leading UK from a last-place finish in 2005 to the first SEC Championship in school history. Combined, the Shelby family has hit 46 home runs for the Kentucky program, driving in 196 runs. The youngest of the Shelby brothers, slugging outfielder Jaren, signed his National Letter of Intent with Kentucky in November.
Kentucky opens its 2016 season on Feb. 19 at Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C.
UK PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS (since 1999)
1999 – John Wilson, C
– Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball
2007 – Collin Cowgill, OF
– Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA
2007 – Sean Coughlin, C
– Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA
2007 – Greg Dombrowski, RHSP
– NCBWA
2010 – Chris Bisson, 2B
– Baseball America
2013 – Austin Cousino, OF
– Baseball America, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA
2013 – Corey Littrell, LHSP
– Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA
2013 – AJ Reed, UT
– NCBWA
2014 – AJ Reed, UT
– Baseball America, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game
2014 – Austin Cousino, OF
– Baseball America
2015 – Kyle Cody, RHSP
– Baseball America, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball
2016 – JaVon Shelby, 3B
– Baseball America, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball
