By Lori Lyons, Rougarou Writer
It’s not every day that all of your teammates chase you around the outfield with a giant cooler of ice water. But it’s not every day that you get a game-winning hit to spark such a celebration.
Baton Rouge Rougarou shortstop Joshua Shelly got to experience it all on May 31 when he sent a line drive up the middle in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Jackson Walker for the game-tying run and T.J. Grines for the winning run in a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Victoria Generals at Pete Goldsby Field. Shelly's teammates did eventually catch up with him and left him cold.
“That was an awesome experience,” said Shelly, a Houma native who just wrapped up a season at Coastal Alabama North. “It was freezing cold, but it was fun. I think it was just water, I’m not sure. It was a blast. I’d do it every night if I could.”
The way he’s been hitting the ball for the Rougarou in just the first week of the season, he just might. Through six games, Shelly is the leading hitter on the team at .360. He has nine hits, including a double and a triple, and a team-leading six RBIs in 25 at-bats. He has hit safely in every game so far, even Monday night’s loss to the Generals in which he and Sully Stringer went 2-for-4 to account for all of the team’s four hits.
Shelly said it’s a nice carry-over from his season at Coastal Alabama North, where he hit .399 with 35 RBIs, seven home runs, 13 doubles, two triples and 40 runs scored.
“I had a pretty good season, so I pretty much carried that over to the summer,” said Shelly. “I’m just trying to maintain that. I just want to help us win any way I can.”
Baton Rouge Rougarou shortstop Joshua Shelly
Not bad for a guy who has torn his left anterior cruciate ligament twice – once during the summer before his senior year at Vandebilt Catholic High School, and again in the fall of his freshman season at Jones Community College. He missed that whole year and later transferred to Coastal Alabama.
But now that program has discontinued baseball, leaving Shelly to find yet another place to play. He will transfer to Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia, Alabama, next season.
In the meantime, he is honing his skills as a Rougarou, having fun getting to know his new teammates and impressing Coach Jeff “Rooster” Southall.
“Josh is a very good hitter and has a professional swing that may, in due time, get him an opportunity to play professionally,” Southall said. “Like many young hitters, his only issue is being more selective on what he swings at. As Josh matures in baseball as an offensive player, he’ll learn more about what pitchers are trying to do to him and become more selective. Hitters like Josh just need more live at-bats to understand what are good hitter’s counts and which counts dictate a time to just play offense.
“He’s working hard and is a good student willing to accept coaching and some tips on how to improve,” Southall continued. “He has really good bat-to-ball skills and the ability to hit balls where they’re pitched. His bat path is direct and his hands stay inside the ball. As we progress through the summer, I want him to work more on hitting the ball up the middle. This approach will allow him to have a little margin for error and greatly increase his chances of success. Josh has done a really good job of playing team baseball and driving guys in. I’m happy with where Josh is now and I expect he’ll continue to have success and work to keep improving.”
The Rougarou will host the Victoria Generals Wednesday night and Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Goldsby Field.