Shaelynn Braxton returns to Bethune-Cookman for the 2026 season, her third stint with the program. She just completed her fourth season with the Wildcats.
In 2026, she helped lead B-CU to a 16-8 record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and a three-seed in the conference tournament. Emma Bradley-Tse was honored as an All-SWAC performer under Braxton's leadership.
When she returned in 2022, the Wildcats finished 17-7 in conference play and earned the top seed in the SWAC's East Division. Hannah Ortega was named Pitcher of the Year while her and Halyne Gonzalez were named All-SWAC First Team
Previously, she helped the Wildcats win two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships as well as the program’s first NCAA appearances since 2012.
At Virginia, Braxton’s expertise on defense had an impact, with the team’s .951 fielding percentage the program’s best since 2013 in 2020.
Braxton was a standout player at Marshall University. She was a part of two NCAA Regional appearances in 2013 and 2017 – the first player in program history to make multiple post-season appearances.
She posted a career batting average of .310 (.548 slugging) with 35 home runs and 171 RBI, finishing second on the all-time list in the latter two categories. She earned three Conference USA post-season honors and two NFCA Mid-East All-Regional honors.
Her sophomore year saw her finish 29th in the nation in home runs (16) and 28th in RBI (56) while hitting .351. Her .781 slugging percentage as well as her home run count were both the third highest single-season totals in Marshall history.
As a junior, she was second in the nation in sacrifice flies.
Braxton, who redshirted while with the Thundering Herd, earned a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from Marshall in 2016. She was a 2015 NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
Braxton played her high school ball at C.D. Hylton HS (Va.), where she was a two-time first team all-state selection. She set the Virginia state single game record for runs batted in with seven.
She returned to C.D. Hylton HS as a coach for one season has coached travel ball for the Vienna Stars and the Virginia Glory.
