LEXINGTON — The Whitley County Colonels are on the brink of history as they prepare to face Shelby County in the 2023 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament championship game.
A win would not only secure the first state title in program history but also make the Colonels the first-ever team from the 13th Region to capture the state baseball title.
The Colonels (38-4) have been on a roll, securing wins over LaRue County, South Warren, and Henderson County to reach the championship game.
However, they face a tough challenge in Shelby County, who enter the game on a nine-game win streak.
“I can’t say it enough. It’s special,” Whitley County coach Jeremy Shope said of his team’s run to the state title game. “I’m so glad that our team, school, and community get to enjoy this special moment in time. We are going to enjoy every second of it while competing our tails off.”
Whitley County has a ton of momentum entering Saturday’s title game against the Rockets at 7 p.m.
Shelby County (32-9) enters Saturday’s contest red-hot as well, riding a season-best nine-game win streak.
The Rockets have defeated McCracken (3-0), Eastern (9-2), and Apollo (2-1) to advance to the state championship game.
“Shelby County is a very good baseball team,” Shope said. “They have their number available to throw. We are going to have to play clean baseball. Hopefully, we can grind out at bats again.”
They received a strong pitching effort from Kemper Whisman during Friday’s win over Apollo. Whisman tossed five innings while improving to 8-1. Hunter Cook picked up his fifth save of the season.
Shelby County has some solid options to go with on the mound.
Available to pitch for the Rockets are Jack Wills (7-1, 1 save, 2.64 ERA), Carter White (5-2, 1 save, 2.85 ERA), and unbeaten Foster Whisman (6-0, 2.83 ERA).
Kemper Whisman leads the Rockets at the plate with a .414 batting average while Myles Strong is batting .377.
Shelby County has six batters batting over.300 on the season while as a team is hitting .317. The Rockets’ team ERA is 3.08.
Whitley County will more than likely go with Grant Zehr, who is 9-2 with three saves. He’s pitched in all three state tournament games, posting a 1-0 mark while garnering two saves.
Braydn Bargo also gives Shope another option on the mound. He is 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA.
The stage is set for an exciting championship game, and the Colonels are ready to make history.
