JaVon Shelby Earns Preseason All-America Honors

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky junior third baseman JaVon Shelby has been named a third-team preseason All-America honoree, it was announced on Monday morning by D1baseball.

A native of Lexington, Ky., Shelby has earned a pair of preseason All-America accolades in 2016, including a third-team spot from Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball. He earned All-Southeastern Conference honors as UK’s everyday second baseman in each of his first two seasons, including first-team accolades in 2015.

Shelby enters 2016 as the leading returnee among SEC players in OPS in conference play (1.073) and has led all SEC second baseman in defensive assists in each of his two seasons. In SEC play in 2015, Shelby ranked only behind national player of the year Andrew Benintendi and senior slugger Kyle Martin in OPS.

A 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed hitter, Shelby finished 2015 with a .312 average (63-for-202) with nine homers and 44 RBI. Shelby 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. 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 begins 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 - Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball