Karley Shelton

position Infielder
height 5-5
class Junior
B/T L/R
Hometown Lexington, S.C.
High school Lexington

position Infielder
height 5-5
class Junior
B/T L/R
Hometown Lexington, S.C.
High school Lexington

Awards:

2026 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® team
.978 fielding percentage is the best by a second baseman in Carolina’s SEC era
39 career doubles are tied for 12th all-time in program history
274 assists at second base rank 5th all-time in Carolina’s SEC era

2026:

Named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® team … Named the Preseason No. 9 second baseman D1Softball … Listed as the Preseason No. 68 overall player by Softball America … Played and started all 60 games at second base … Led the team with 68 hits and 16 doubles … Second on the team in batting average, slugging percentage, RBIs, and total bases … Led the team with 11 multi-RBI games … Second on the team with 17 multi-hit games … Tied a career-long with an 11-game hitting streak … Had a 15 game on-base streak … Drew a season-high two walks at Missouri (4/17) and North Carolina (4/22) … Had a season-high four hits against Kennesaw State (2/14) … Drove in a season-high four runs against Winthrop (2/8) and Kennesaw State (2/14) … Scored a season-high three runs four times … Had two doubles against Syracuse (2/6) … Hit two home runs against Winthrop (2/8) … Went 4-for-4 with a double and four RBIs against Kennesaw State (2/14) … Added three hits and three RBIs at Coastal Carolina (3/11) … Had the game-winning sacrifice bunt to walk off then-No. 11 Texas A&M (4/26) … Had the game-winning hit against Saint Mary’s (2/21) … Her 16 doubles rank tied for 13th all-time in a season.

2025:

Played and started in all 61 games at second base … Led the team with 68 hits, 58 runs, and 18 doubles … Second on the team with a .343 batting average … Third on the team with 41 RBIs … Her 58 runs rank fifth all-time in program history … Her 18 doubles rank ties for fifth in a single season … Was third on the team with 13 double plays turned … She is one of three players in program history with three doubles in a game (at Charlotte, 2/25), the first since 2010 … Her 113 assists rank fourth all-time in a season by a second baseman … Twice had a three-hit game (Charlotte, 2/25; Ole Miss, 4/6) … Second on the team with 18 multi-hit games … Twice drove in three runs in a game (Duke, 2/28; Kentucky, 4/19) … Second on the team with 13 multi-RBI games … Scored three runs on four different occasions … Had a 10-game hitting streak … Had a 20-game on-base streak.

2024:

Named to the SEC Spring Honor Roll … Named to the SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll … Named an NFCA All-Scholar … Played 50 games, starting 34 times, primarily at second base … Began her collegiate career by going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs against UNCG (2/9) … Connected on her first home run again No. 13 Utah (2/15) … Scored a season-high three runs against UC San Diego (2/17) … Had four multi-hit games … Had three multi-RBI games … Had a season-high five assists against UC Davis (2/17) … Recorded a season-high four putouts against UMass (2/24) … Part of the first triple play in recorded program history against Charleston Southern (3/27).

Prior to SC:

Graduated a year early to enroll at South Carolina … Played at Lexington HS in Lexington, S.C. … Was a three-year varsity player for the Wildcats … As a junior, she was named to the All-State team and named the Region 4 Player of the Year … Hit .456 with 35 RBIs, five home runs, 12 doubles and five triples … As a sophomore, she was named to the Western Conference First Team … Batted .451 with 24 RBIs, six doubles, four triples, and a home run … As a freshman, she was named the FACA 7A District Player of the Year and was named to the Western Conference First Team … Batted .507 with 43 RBIs, 12 doubles and 12 home runs … Helped her team to a Regional title in 2023 and three straight District titles … With her club team LLG Corn DPS, she was named runner-up for National Player of the Week by Extra Inning Softball for the Colorado Sparkler in 2021 … Led her squad to the 2020 16u SEFL Fall Championship, where she was named the Most Valuable Player … Ranked as the No. 9 player by Extra Innings Softball in the class of 2024.

Personal:

Daughter of Bonnie and Eric Shelton … Has one brother, Colby, and one sister, Kiley … Comes from an athletic family where all five have played collegiately … Father played baseball at Charlotte … Mother played softball at Charlotte … Brother plays baseball at Florida … Sister plays softball at Colgate … Chose South Carolina over Clemson and Ole Miss.

Why she chose South Carolina:

“The coaching staff made it feel like home. The Facility is outstanding. The culture and atmosphere. Having the ability to grow my game. Also, after going to camps as a little girl at 9 years old.”