WILLIAMSBURG — Whitley County’s journey to a state championship actually began on May 25, 2022, just moments after their disappointing 7-3 loss to Middlesboro in the first round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament.
Despite winning the 50th District championship and entering the tournament with a 13-game win streak, Jeremy Shope’s squad fell short of capturing their second straight region crown.
The loss left the Colonels to ponder what could have been, while also shifting their focus to the 2023 campaign.
The setback only fueled their determination to come back stronger and achieve their ultimate goal of winning a state championship.
“I think last year’s loss in the region tournament hurt our feelings. It humbled us,” Shope said. “Baseball has a funny way of doing that. That’s why I love it. It teaches us so much about life. You have two choices in life — either lay down feeling sorry for yourself or go back to work. Life is about how you handle the good times and the bad times.
“This group of guys graduated the back-to-back region player of the year and their starting catcher,” he added. “Two big shoes to fill. They excepted the challenge. This group of seniors has led by example. They excepted the challenge.”
Whitley County began the season focused on the matter at hand — get back to the region tournament, and make a deep postseason run.
The Colonels did just that by starting 8-0, which included winning the Kentucky 2A, Section 7 title by defeating Corbin, 7-5.
By the time spring break had ended, they were rolling into 50th District play with an impressive 13-2 record.
“This team is blue-collar because of our work ethic. We put a lot of time in,” Shope said. “They brought it every day. They brought it regardless of being tired, regardless of the early success, regardless of the rankings, regardless of the social media — I could go on and on.
“I could feel the it factor from early on,” he added. “I could see them improve with each practice and each game. I was afraid of the early success that the season had brought but they handled it extremely well. They always played day to day, pitch by pitch regardless of the outside noise.”
The Colonels continued to impress, going undefeated at 6-0 in district play, outscoring their opponents, 73-19.
Whitley County continued to roll, heading into the 50th District Tournament as the No. 1 seed while garnering a 31-3 record.
The Colonels cruised to an easy, 13-3, semifinal win over Williamsburg before seeing their 11-game win streak come to an end with a 7-1 loss to Corbin in the 50th District finals.
With less than a week to prepare for another first round matchup with Middlesboro, Shope and his players continued to get to work.
“This team has been special because of how they handled the good times and the bad times. They’re just steady,” Shope said. “They go back to work even during the toughest of times. We play for each other. I’m a firm believer that this game will reward those that respect it and play it the right way.”
The loss didn’t seem to bother Whitley County, who beat the Yellow Jackets, 7-4, before cruising past North Laurel in the regional semis with a 9-2 win.
That set up a fifth matchup between the Colonels, and their rivals, Corbin.
Whitley County has won three of the four meetings between the two teams, but the Redhounds had just defeated the Colonels the week before.
Shope’s squad jumped on Corbin early, and never looked back, cruising to a 7-1 win while earning their second region title in three years.
“Our program just believes in hard work,” Shope said. “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.”
Whitley County ran the table at State Tournament play, defeating LaRue County, South Warren, Henderson County, and Shelby County to be crowned state championship for the first time in program history.
“To be the first 13th Region team to win the state championship is a dream come true,” Shope said. “Southeastern Kentucky is special to me. There are so many good people here. We wanted to show everyone that anything can be accomplished if you have the right mindset. Honored to represent the 13th Region.
Twenty-years from now that state championship banner will still be hanging, but the most important thing to me will be that these guys will be remembered for their love for each other, their blue collar work, and they’re love for the game,” he added. “Every guy on our team had a role in our team’s success. Every one of them excepted their role and became the best at their role. That’s why this team is special and why this team is state champions.
“We have the best coaching staff,” Shope added. “We all know our role. We have a deep love for one another. That is contagious to our team, that is contagious within our school, that is contagious in our community. It was a blast to get to see all of that. I’m so glad that it ended in a state championship. Nobody wanted this season to end. We got to end with a win. We will treasure this forever.”
