Former Shelbyville Central baseball standout Mason Landers, recently finished up his junior season on the collegiate diamond with the Belmont Bruins, and it was his best statistical season since arriving in Nashville in 2021. 
Landers has steadily improved in most hitting categories since his freshman campaign for Belmont with the most notable being in batting average and RBIs as he posted a .347 average with 30 RBIs this past season. 
He also posted career-highs in home runs with 12, hits with 41, a slugging percentage of .720, and an on-base percentage of .414, but he gave all the credit to his coaches and teammates. 
“My success this season would not have happened without my coaches and teammates putting myself in those situations to perform,” Landers said.
“Having some really good hitters in front of me and behind me in the lineup really opened myself up, and allowed me to not stress about at-bats. That gave me comfortability at the plate knowing I had some dudes in our lineup.”
Of his successes this past season, Landers had some big games at the plate as he posted a three home-run day back in February in their season-opening series against UT Martin with a three-run bomb in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader, and followed it up with a solo and two-run shot in the second game. 
Later in the season, Landers matched his season high of two home runs in a single game with a pair of solo shots against Murray State in April. 
“Coaches really get us ready throughout the fall and early spring by doing lots of inter-squads and machine work daily, and that allows for us to feel as if we are in mid-season form from game one.” Landers said.
“The feeling of hitting those three home-runs against an in-state team that was in our conference last year was a great feeling knowing I was helping my team.”
Outside of baseball, Landers is grateful for the opportunities Belmont has provided and continues to provide him for his future after college. 
One of those opportunities is an NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deal with PRIME, which is a hydration and energy drink company. 
“Outside of baseball, college is something that I can only say thank you to in the future. I have met some of my best friends, and made some of my best memories in these three years in Nashville,” Landers said.
“I was fortunate enough to sign a NIL deal with PRIME which allows me to be a sponsored athlete with them. Belmont University has given me opportunities to become successful after baseball is over, and that’s one of the main reasons I chose this school.”
Landers is wasting no time looking ahead to his senior season with the Bruins as he has set some team-oriented goals that include winning the Missouri Valley Conference championship. 
“Some goals I have for next year are to lead our team to Omaha and win our conference championship,” Landers said.
“Our team is a team full of work horses so we give it 100% everyday on and off the field. We use the motivation and mindset that our coaches give us everyday to strive to be the best versions of ourselves. I’ll leave you with a quote that our coaches use quite frequently, ‘You can’t train in the zoo and expect to compete in the jungle.’”