Three Peat; Bucs Top Hanceville for ACCC Championship

BIRMINGHAM - The tenth ranked Shelton State baseball team won its third consecutive ACCC Championship with a 7-2 wins over long-time rival Wallace State Hanceville at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field on the UAB campus.

Shelton State (46-11) won its eighth overall ACCC Championship on Monday, its fourth in the last five years. 

The Bucs have won titles in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

With a new format this season, Shelton State will just LSU-Eunice in a three-game Super Regional this Thursday through Saturday (May 15-17) in Tuscaloosa. The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.

The Bucs offense got home runs from sophomores Pierce Dutton and Trenton Shirley and a trio of infield hits for its seven runs.

Freshman Gunner Dodd, sophomore Jeremy O'Quinn, freshman Kenneth Diddell and sophomore John Michael Pickens tamed the Lions on the mound, allowing only two runs and seven hits.

O'Quinn (2-1) tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief for the win. 

The Bucs pitchers held NW Shoals, Coastal South Hanceville to just three runs in 27 total innings this week. 

The defense turned three double plays on Monday and finished the tournament with no errors and four double plays. 

The Bucs scored first with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore first baseman Brady Waugh was hit by a pitch and sophomore catcher Lawson Neel delivered a two-out single to center. Sophomore shortstop Paxton Ponder legged out an infield hit to drive in the first run.

Shelton State made it 2-0 in the fourth playing small ball. 

Sophomore Mason Steele reached on a bunt single and moved to second on Waugh's sacrifice bunt. Freshman third baseman Slade Sullivan reached on a bunt single and Neel brought home Steele with a safety squeeze to add to the lead.

Casen Heaps hit a solo home run in the fifth to pull the Lions o 2-1.

Dutton lead off home run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 3-1.

Shirley's three-run home run in the sixth stretched the lead to 6-1. Waugh stroked a lead off single to right and later in the inning Ponder drew a two-out walk. Shirley followed a blast to dead center to give the Bucs a five-run cushion. 

The Bucs added a run in the eighth when Neel doubled and scored on a sac fly by pinch-hitter Tripp Gann. 

Neel led the Bucs with two hits. 

Hanceville (36-23) added a run on three hits in the ninth inning, including Will Perrry's RBI single.

Henderson was named the Most Valuable Player after hitting two home run and seven RBIs in the tournament.

Dutton, Shirley, Graphos and Steele also made the All Tournament Team.