Dreaming Big: South’s Shelton a highly-coveted softball prospect
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PARKERSBURG -- Anniston Shelton burst onto the West Virginia high school softball scene quickly as a freshman.
Now, as the Parkersburg South ace enters her junior year, Shelton is seeing her name pop up in national headlines.
Back in May, Shelton was officially rated by On3 Sports as a five-star prospect. Recently, Softball America by Rule 42 listed the right-hander as the Class of 2028's No. 5-ranked prospect in the country -- and No. 1 in the Mountain State.
"It means a lot to me," Shelton said. "I take pride in it. Being ranked in the top five alongside some of the best athletes in the country, getting the opportunity to be recognized, being where I'm from, I take a lot of pride in that. It's been a journey, but a fun journey. There's been a lot of hard work and a lot of excitement."
Before all the national recognition started piling up, Shelton was turning heads on softball diamonds all over the Mid-Ohio Valley. By the end of her freshman campaign, Shelton had racked up 246 strikeouts in 114 innings. She walked just 23 batters in that span while compiling an 11-7 record and 0.74 earned-run average. Shelton proved she can also swing the bat, hitting .388 with five home runs en route to earning first team all-state honors as a ninth-grader.
As good as Shelton was as a freshman, she admitted that handling adversity didn't always come easy to her. That's an area in which she's worked hard to improve.
"When things aren't always going your way, it's how you bounce back," she said. "I've grown in that aspect. The things that push you back a little bit, I just use it as motivation and a learning point. I can get better at this and do this better. I've grown in my mentality and mindset. Be patient with things."
As an encore, Shelton had another monster season last spring as a sophomore. She finished 13-7 in the circle with 264 Ks in 145 1/3 innings and a 1.83 ERA while batting .391 with eight bombs to repeat as a first team all-stater. Shelton helped lead the Patriots to South Charleston, getting her first taste of the state tournament.
"Getting to state was really important to me, so reaching that sophomore year was big," she said. "I'm definitely proud of that. We fell short, but going into this year hopefully we can get to state and be in a better standing spot."
South head coach Tim Burch understands as well as anybody what a special talent Shelton is, and said it all starts with her competitiveness.
"Annie is a true worker who trains at a high level," Burch said following Shelton's freshman season. "She's the most competitive athlete I've ever coached and approaches everything she does differently than any player her age."
When the varsity softball season comes to a close, Shelton spends her summers sharpening her craft through travel ball. Originally with the Beverly Bandits, Shelton eventually got the chance to play for Hotshots Fastpitch, a travel program based in Texas whose roster features several NCAA Division I commits.
"We had played them when I was with the Bandits and I had a really good game," Shelton said. "I got the opportunity to play for the Hotshots organization. The people there, all my coaches, have really helped me grow as a player and a person. The standard they have is losing is not an option. I use that in my everyday life. It plays a big part in everything I do. The talent I'm surrounded by there pushes me to grow."
In the circle, Shelton throws "a little bit of everything," she said. "My riseball and curveball are some of my favorites, but I don't really have a pitch that I don't like."
Shelton is capable of hitting 70 miles-per-hour but sits upper-60s. As the calendar flips to September, she'll start to get a better feel for the college recruiting process.
"Coaches will finally be able to call and talk to me September 1st," Shelton said. "I'm really excited for that. I've definitely looked at it seriously. I've had a lot of interest shown."
Shelton said Texas A&M, Tennessee, Auburn and Oklahoma State are among the big-time D1 programs that have expressed interest.
"I'm blessed to get those opportunities," she said. "I just want to play at the highest level. I'm kind of waiting for the process to play out."
Shelton isn't limiting herself when it comes to what the future could hold. She's dreaming big, and when asked about the possibility of playing professionally one day, she doesn't hesitate.
"Absolutely," she responds. "If I could get the opportunity to play in the (Athletes Unlimited Softball League), which is extremely awesome, I would love to do that. Even the chance to play for the USA in the Olympic Games, that's always been a goal of mine. I can't wait to see what God has in store."
Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.