The Whitley Six, part 2: Watson, Harlan, Shelton leave home to pursue baseball dreams

For former Whitley County Colonels Jon Watson, Chase Harlan and Tyler Shelton, the dream of playing baseball at the collegiate level came true, and continues to come true, each time they suit up for their respective programs.

Watson, who is a sophomore at Midway University in Midway, KY helped lead the Colonels to a 25-10 overall record as a high school senior in 2019, including an appearance in the 50th District finals and a 9-6 win over North Laurel in the first round of that year’s 13th Region tournament.

As an outfielder at Midway, he played in 32 games for the Eagles last season. He is off to a good start this year, recording two hits and knocking in a run in his first five at-bats. Through February, the team went 4-8. They will be hosting a series against Ohio Christian this week.

“I am proud of the way that Jon has been grinding it out at Midway,” said Colonels baseball Head Coach Jeremy Shope. “When he has gotten opportunities, he has really made the most of them.”

Harlan was a junior at Whitley in 2019, meaning he unfortunately had to miss out on his senior season due to the COVID-19 cancellation in the spring of 2020. Now a sophomore at Kentucky Wesleyan University in Owensboro, he is emerging as a pitching option for the Panthers, making nine appearances on the mound in 2022, and getting the nod again already this season.

The Panthers went 4-6 in the month of February, and are currently on a road trip in Florida. They are scheduled to play a series against Lake Erie College in Painesville, OH on March 18-19.

Coach Shope said of Harlan, “Chase excelled on the mound for us, and he was going to be a big part of our game plan as a senior. Unfortunately, that season got canceled, but he has been able to do very well as a pitcher at Kentucky Wesleyan.”

Shelton is currently competing as a fifth year senior at Johnson University in Knoxville, TN. As a senior Colonel in 2018, he helped lead the team to a region-best 25-12 overall record, including appearances in the 50th District and 13th Region championship games.

Shelton and the Royals are off to a rough start this season, going 2-18 through March 5. They are hoping for better results in upcoming series at Bryan College (Tenn.) on March 10-11, and against visiting Reinhardt University (Tenn.) on March 17-18.

Shelton appeared in 48 games for the Royals last season, finishing with a .401 on-base percentage and a .393 slugging percentage. He was named NCCAA All-Region (second team), and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at his first base position for the Mid-East Region in 2021.

“He was a kid that really blossomed into a great player,” Shope said of Shelton. “He has gone to Johnson University, and has done great things there, not just on the field, but also academically.”

For more information on the Royals, visit jut.prestosports.com. For more on the Panthers, visit www.kwcpanthers.com. Finally, for more on the Eagles, visit www.gomidwayeagles.com.