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The Whitley Six, part 1: Former Colonels helping Patriots get off to great start in 2023
Posted On 05 Mar 2023
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Caden Petrey pitching for the Colonels in 2019
After helping to make history at Whitley County High School, three former Colonel baseball players are currently playing together again at the University of the Cumberlands, where the Patriots are off to another hot start after winning their second consecutive Mid-South Conference title last season.
“We battled against some weather early on, but I feel really good about where we’re at right now,” said Patriots Head Coach Brad Shelton of his 2023 squad. “We have a lot of power in our lineup, but our biggest strength is probably with our bullpen depth. We have 10-12 guys that can all come in and throw with that velocity that we need.”
Playing a major role in UC’s early success on the diamond this season has been freshman Caden Petrey, who was recently named Male Athlete of the Week after stellar performances against visiting Cincinnati-Clermont on Tuesday, Feb. 21, and at Lindsey Wilson on Feb. 23-24.
A press release sent out by the university Monday said, “Caden Petrey earned athlete of the week honors after hitting .500 on the week with 10 RBI, three homers, and seven runs scored. The freshman opened the week going 3-3 with three RBI, four runs scored, and two walks in the double header against Cincinnati-Clermont. His homer was a solo shot in the third inning of game two to extend the lead to 8-3.”
“Petrey followed it up with a two-run shot in the seventh inning against Lindsey Wilson to cut the deficit to 5-3 in game one of the series. The Williamsburg, KY native capped off his week with a grand slam in the top of the fifth inning and closed out the day with a career-high five RBI in UC’s 10-8 win over the Blue Raiders to clinch the series for Cumberlands. That grand slam broke open a 4-4 tie as Petrey closed out the week slugging 1.214.”
“Caden has played well for us,” Coach Shelton commented. “He had a good fall, and earned an opportunity to get to play some for us as a freshman. That isn’t easy to do on our team, but he has taken advantage of every opportunity, and his work ethic is really what has gotten him to this point.”
As a junior at Whitley in 2021, Petrey helped lead the baseball Colonels to a 31-10 record, including a 13th Region championship and a victory over the Raceland Rams in the KHSAA state baseball tournament semi-state round. He ended that season with a near .500 batting average, and a 2.40 ERA as a pitcher.
Last season, as a senior, Petrey led the Colonels to a region-best 27-11 overall win-loss record, including a 50th District championship title. The team missed out on a repeat trip to state after getting upset by Middlesboro in the semifinals of the 13th Region tournament, but Petrey managed to improve on his junior campaign by finishing the spring with a .512 batting average and a 2.20 ERA.
Also turning heads for the Patriots recently has been pitcher Jimmy Green and catcher Clay Shelton.
In 2019, when Green was a senior and Shelton was a junior at WCHS, the Colonels finished the season with a 25-10 overall record, including an appearance in the 50th District finals and a 9-6 win over North Laurel in the first round of the 13th Region tournament.
Shelton unfortunately missed out on his senior campaign at Whitley due to the COVID-19 spring sports season cancellation, but he has managed to bounce back from that nicely, making a name for himself as an important piece of the puzzle for the Patriots.
“Clay was a big part of our conference championship team last year,” Coach Shelton said. “He has had a good first year for us, and although he has been dealing with some injuries lately, we are looking forward to getting him back at full strength. He should help us to improve our depth behind the plate.”
Shelton’s bio on the cumberlandspatriots.com website says, “As a freshman (2022): MSC Academic All-Conference and Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Played in 20 games and started 10. Hit .394 with three homeruns and three doubles for 10 RBIs while getting walked 12 times. One of his homeruns came in the NAIA Opening Round against Mount Vernon Nazarene. Finished the season with a .982 fielding percentage.”
As for Green, Coach Shelton said that he has been pleased to see his continued improvement, having earned a spot on the varsity roster this season after spending a couple of years competing at the JV level.
“He is a great teammate,” Shelton said. “All three of these guys have had a big positive impact on our program.”
Whitley County Baseball Head Coach Jeremy Shope said of his former players, “I am so proud of them, and what they’re doing down at UC. When I took over the program at Whitley these guys had been through a lot, but they stuck through it through thick and thin, and they really showed me their love for the game.”
“They just welcomed me in, and we all went to work,” Shope added. “I am so proud of what they were able to accomplish here, but I am even more proud of what they have accomplished at the college level.”
The University of the Cumberlands baseball Patriots were sitting at 10-2 through Friday, Feb. 24, and are currently looking forward to hosting their Mid-South Conference foes from Campbellsville University on Friday and Saturday, March 3-4. They are hoping to successfully defend their MSC championship crown this season, and make it back to NAIA competition later this spring.
For more information, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com.
Next week: Look here for part 2 of this story, which will feature updates on former Colonel baseball standouts Jon Watson, Chase Harlan and Tyler Shelton!
