by In 2020, the year of the most recent census, Shattuck, Oklahoma, registered a population of 1,249. Also in 2020, Shattuck natives John Bay and Brendan Girton were seniors in high school, and both were committed to play Division I baseball in the Big 12. Bay was headed to Oklahoma State, and Girton to Texas Tech.
Bay and Girton grew up together, sharing every class from preschool onward. They played baseball, basketball, and football together, even winning a few state championships in football. After heading to different colleges, though, the expectation was that their time as teammates was over.
This spring, on the backfields of the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida, it happened again. Bay and Girton took the field as teammates.
“We took a second, and were like, ‘Man, how crazy is this? God is so good,” Bay said.
The Mets selected Girton in the 10th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Twelve months later, the Mets signed Bay as a free agent.
“For us to have come from such a small area, and then being in the same organization, it doesn’t feel like real life,” Girton said.
Bay said Girton was one of his first phone calls after he signed with the Mets. Girton said he had a feeling the Mets would pick him up.
“I don’t know what it was, but I just had a feeling that there was a chance of that happening,” Girton said.
Girton, a pitcher, made 21 appearances for the Cyclones in 2025, his first full season, before earning a late-season promotion to Double-A Binghamton.
Bay, an outfielder, made his professional debut six days after signing for Single-A St. Lucie. He earned a promotion to Brooklyn after just 17 games, just fourteen days after Girton was sent to Binghamton.
While they just missed each other during the regular season, they finally shared the field again during the 2026 spring training. The first time was the aforementioned away game versus the Cardinals, and the second was an intrasquad scrimmage.
“It’s pretty surreal to get to come back and be in the same organization,” Bay said. “Spring training was pretty surreal, just getting to work together. We come from a very small town, Shattuck, Oklahoma, and I know we both are very grateful to come out of there, and just very grateful for the people that helped us get to where we’re at now.”
Neither player finished their college careers where they started. Girton spent his first three years at Texas Tech before transferring to Oklahoma for his final year. Bay spent his first two years at Oklahoma State before transferring to Austin Peay for his final three years. While at Oklahoma State, he was teammates with former Cyclone Nolan McLean.
Bay said the two “practically were roommates,” with just a wall separating them. The two spent a lot of time together off the field, sharing bible study and playing golf. The two even tipped a golf cart together once.
“I think it was the 16th hole, and we’re just zooming through,” he said. “The sun was about to go down, we were trying to get done, and either he or I hit a ball way left. Nolan was in charge of driving, took a slope a little too hard, and we dumped the golf cart. But luckily, no injuries. Funny memory to look back on.”
After Bay’s second year as a Cowboy, Oklahoma State director of player development Ronald Fanning left to be the head coach at Austin Peay. Bay followed him. There was more playing time available for Bay at Austin Peay, and his relationship with Fanning made the decision a no-brainer.
Bay was good in his first year for the Governors but exploded in his next two, hitting at least .360 with an OPS over 1.200 in each of his final two seasons. He hit 46 home runs over the last two seasons, ranking in the top 20 in the nation each year.
Bay was not selected in the 2025 MLB Draft and signed with the Mets about a week and a half later.
“Took me five years, but I was just itching for an opportunity,” he said. “When I got a call from Kevin Whiteside, I just said, ‘Hey, where do I need to go? Sign me up.’ I was more than excited to get this opportunity, and just very grateful to keep playing the game that I love.”
Bay had a celebratory steak dinner with his family that night, and then packed a bag and went to the airport the next morning. The next thing he knew, he woke up in Florida.
He wasn’t in Florida long, earning a promotion to Brooklyn in under a month. Less than four months after playing his final college game, Bay was in left field for the Cyclones, catching the final out of the 2025 South Atlantic League championship. The ball went right into his back pocket as he was running in to join the celebrations, and he delivered it to then-Cyclones manager and current Mets first base coach Gilbert Gómez.
“He deserved it,” Bay said. “He’s incredible. He’s probably got that hidden away in a good space.”
Bay has returned to the Cyclones to begin 2026 and has been Brooklyn’s best hitter, leading all qualifiers in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBIs, runs scored, extra-base hits, and many more.
If Bay can earn a promotion to Double-A while Girton is still there, the two can share a dugout again for longer than a spring training game.
“I imagine a lot of people from my hometown would definitely come out to Binghamton, New York, or wherever, and come watch some games, I’m sure,” Girton said. “Back home, they definitely support us quite a bit. It’s crazy to think about, really is.”
First, though, Bay will have to get there. So far, he’s off to a good start.
