What WCHS baseball has achieved in 2023 is simply amazing

This time last week we were wishing the Whitley County Colonels baseball team good luck as they set off for Lexington to compete in this year’s Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Championship Tournament. Now, a week later, we are once again sending them well wishes as they return to Lexington as one of the final four high school baseball teams left standing in the state.

Although it is absolutely true, simply calling the Colonels’ 2023 season “history-making” is kind of an understatement. This team has not only made history, but they have set the bar for future teams at Whitley, as well as across the region; that statement will hold true regardless of how things play out the rest of the way.

To think that Coach Jeremy Shope’s Colonels have won 37 games while only losing four is quite remarkable. I mean, that is a lot of ball that has been played up to this point, and it sure is a lot of winning that has been done by the boys in red-and-black.

I can’t say enough about the veteran leadership on this team. Seniors Mason Croley, Andrew Stack, Sam Harp and Grant Zehr have done a fantastic job leading the charge, and have been supported very well by a strong junior class that includes Bryce Anderson, Bradyn Bargo, Jerrod Croley, Tyler Rose, Chris Strickland, Hunter Wilson and Matthew Wright.

With a talented crop of sophomore, freshman, and even eighth grade players currently working their way up through the ranks, the Whitley County baseball program could very well remain as the team to beat for the foreseeable future.

As for the 2023 Colonels, it has been great to see how the community has come together to support this crew. That overwhelming support was on full display last week when the team received a send-off parade through downtown Williamsburg. It was a sea of red, white and black as well-wishers lined both sides of the street to cheer and shout words of encouragement to all of the players and coaches before they left town.

And it wasn’t just diehard Colonel fans who were there, by the way. I also saw a few city folks, who would normally be sporting orange, take the time to come out and wish their neighbors from out in the county good luck in the state tournament. That was good to see.

Making it to a state-level competition in any sport is a tall task. So much can go wrong, and so many things have to go right in order to emerge as the last program left standing in a region. Once a team does make it to state, actually winning on that stage is incredibly difficult. Everyone is good in a state tournament, so the fact that Whitley won their Sweet 16 game against LaRue County and then followed that up with a come-from-behind victory against South Warren in the Elite Eight is a testament to how special this group really is.

Now, the Colonels are faced with a Final Four encounter against the *other* Colonels from Henderson County. This is an intriguing matchup, as it sees the team with the best overall record in the tournament (Whitley County, 37-4) going up against the team with the worst overall record in the tournament (Henderson County, 20-17). It is extremely important to remember, however, that this is the semifinals of the state tournament that we’re talking about. There are no pushovers here, and records really mean nothing.

With that being said, many fans will likely be tempted to look at this matchup on paper and assume that the Whitley Colonels are a lock to get the win. While I do think that our Colonels will advance to this weekend’s championship game, I don’t think that their Colonels will make it easy.

Once again, best of luck to everyone making the trip from Whitley County to the University of Kentucky’s Kentucky Proud Park this week. Whether it be to play, coach, or spectate, I wish everyone safe and prosperous travels. Hopefully, I will be back here next week congratulating our guys on what would be an absolutely monumental state championship victory.

Either way, this team has represented their community well!