Colonels enter 2024 season with targets on their backs as defending state champs

With the spring sports season now just days away, Whitley County Colonels Baseball Head Coach Jeremy Shope is well aware of his team’s situation as the defending Kentucky High School Athletic Association state champions.

“Any time that your program reaches that pinnacle, and you are playing at that level, it is going to push other teams up against the wall,” Shope said recently. “They are all going to come out swinging, so we have to be ready for that fight. We have to work harder than ever.”

Indeed, there is zero chance that Shope’s Colonels will be able to fly under anyone’s radar in 2024. Last season, they were one victory shy of a 40-win campaign. They finished as runner-up in the Kentucky 2A State Championships, defeated Middlesboro, North Laurel and Corbin to secure a 13th Region championship title, and then beat LaRue County, South Warren, Henderson County and Shelby County en route to the program’s first-ever KHSAA state title.

“It has been very busy after winning state,” Shope said. “We have all been celebrating that, which is awesome, and I am glad that the kids have gotten to experience that, but now it’s behind us and we have to get ready for 2024.”

Whitley graduated four key players from last year’s state championship roster in Mason Croley, Grant Zehr, Andrew Stack and Sam Harp. While their presence will certainly be missed in the dugout, it is now time for a new crop of senior leaders to take center stage.

“Each year, you graduate seniors and then it is time for the next man up,” Shope explained. “We return a competitive group of seniors. These are guys who understand what it takes to put yourself in a position to win. Baseball is a tough game, but these guys know what that grind is like.”

Shope said that, in addition to his veteran talent, he is also excited about an eager group of young players who will get chances to make an impact at the varsity level as the 2024 season progresses.

“Overall, I think that our strength will be our defense,” Shope said when asked about this year’s squad. “I feel like we will be able to put guys out there who can make the routine play.”

“Offensively, I like our team’s speed,” Shope continued. “I think we will be able to put some pressure on people. We also return several of our bats who had a good year last year, and I will be expecting that again out of all of them.”

As expected, the defending state champions have not scheduled lightly in the offseason.

“Our schedule will not be very forgiving,” Shope said. “We are going to have to be able to handle some adversity along the way.”

The Colonels will open up their season at home when they welcome in Somerset on March 11.