Shenton signs to play baseball at UW

Heralded as one of the nation’s better high school baseball prospects, Bellingham product Austin Shenton’s future is no doubt bright.

He’s established himself as the purest talent in the Northwest Conference playing for the Red Raiders while gaining nationwide recognition playing for some of the country’s top club teams.

Shenton made the next step of his career official by committing to the University of Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 11, the first day of the early-signing period, at Bellingham’s Inside Pitch.

“It means the world to me,” Shenton said. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment my whole life basically, and UW was my first option, first choice, and I’ve always wanted to be a Husky.”

The setting of Shenton’s signing couldn’t have been more fitting, and UW commit took a minute to reflect on all the time he’d spent training at the facility with instructor Brandon Hundt.

Shenton got his Inside Pitch membership at 8 or 9 and has recorded countless hours honing his game in the facility.

“We have been pretty close, and this is pretty much the only place I would sign because we are a family here,” Shenton said. “I have a family at home, obviously, but down here I have spent hours upon hours. It’s another family that I have. That I could sign here, it really means a lot to me.”

Shenton had been verbally committed to Washington for some time, and he said the location, facilities and coaching made UW the right fit for him.

The Bellingham senior hit .406 with seven doubles, two homers and 21 RBI during his freshman year in which he was a second-team all-state selection. He then missed his sophomore year while rehabbing a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus he suffered during football.

Shenton started at shortstop as a junior, helping the Red Raiders reach the district tournament and produced at the plate between the many free passes he was afforded.

After he finishes his senior year this spring, there’s a good chance he’ll be a fixture within the Huskies’ lineup playing third, first or left field.

“Austin will be a major force in the middle of our batting order from the time he arrives on campus,” Washington coach Lindsay Meggs said in a tweet from UW baseball’s Twitter account. “He is a RBI machine, who has the chance to be an All-Pac-12 player as a freshman. This guy can swing it.”

Shenton joins a UW class that’s been ranked 15th by Baseball America. He’s undecided on what he’ll study but is interested in either environmental science or photography.

While Shenton’s college future is solidified, he’s also expected to be drafted during June’s MLB draft and has received interest from several big-league teams.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Shenton signs to play baseball at UW."