WILLIAMSBURG — Jeremy Shope’s journey to becoming a state champion coach began in Harlan.
As the son of a coal miner, Shope witnessed the blue-collar work ethic firsthand from his father, which has played a significant role in his success as a high school coach at Whitley County High School.
“Harlan has always been a special place to me,” he said. “That is where my dad grew up as a coal miner’s son. He then became a coal miner and I became a coal miner’s son. We didn’t have very much money but I learned the value of hard work. “My dad would wake up at 4 o’clock in the morning go to work all day, come home and work in the garden, and then take us to the ball park,” he added. “He was a very competitive guy, and still is. I can still remember like it was yesterday putting on that all star uniform for the first time.”
Wherever Shope has gone, he has always carried something with him.
This includes the valuable advice he received from his college coach, as well as his experience as head coach at Mercer County, where he led the Titans to two state title game appearances.
In 2018, Shope assumed leadership of the Whitley County baseball program, which had not qualified for the 13th Region Tournament since 2006.
However, during his first year as head coach, Shope led the Colonels to the region tournament. In 2021, he guided the team to its first region championship, and this season, he led them to their first state championship.
“I learned from my college baseball coach that you have to set the highest of goals,” he admitted. “From day one at Whitley, our goal was to win a region and go try to compete to win a state championship. I didn’t know how long it would take or if it would ever happen, but that is something that I will always expect.
“It has been a lot of hard work over the past six years here at Whitley,” Shope added. “We have had some awesome players and coaches that bought in and went to work. God blessed my family and me with a place that took us in and loved us. We had no idea what we were getting into when we came. We knew it was God’s plan so we kept trusting. I’m so proud for this program and community. I love the hunger for success.
“Our program just believes in hard work,” he continued. “We believe in playing for the guy next to him. We don’t worry about anyone else. We worry about us. We believe that with a whole lot of love, and a whole lot of hard work, that anything is achievable.”
