Baseball

Incoming senior Luke Hillard committed to play baseball at Kentucky Wesleyan College. Whitley County shared Hillard’s announcement on social media Monday. As a junior, Hillard recorded 52 hits, 33 runs, and pitched 51 innings, according to KHSAA stats. Hillard took the mound in several key games including the 13th Region championship game and the team’s first round appearance in the 2026 Baseball State Tournament.

Approximately 40 athletes participated in the Whitley County High School baseball and softball fundamental camp on July 27-28. The two-day camp introduced players to the fundamentals of the game, including throwing, footwork, flexibility, stretching and more. The camp was designed to build confidence and develop their skills.

A familiar face will lead the Williamsburg Jacket baseball program next spring. School officials announced Jasiah Baskett as the new head coach on social media on June 26. This spring, Baskett served as the team’s pitching coach. In addition to his role on the diamond, he also served as a substitute teacher. Baskett is originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey. He played college baseball at Union College of New Jersey and the University of Delaware. Prior to making the trip to Williamsburg, Baskett spent four seasons as an assistant coach with Elizabeth Minuteman and served as an assistant coach for the Randolph Chiefs of the MCBL Collegiate Summer Baseball League. In the social media...

Corbin’s Chloe Bays competed in the KY Prep East/West All-Star series June 19-21. All-Star players were selected by Kentucky Softball Coaches Association member coaches. Bays played on the East Juniors squad, which also included three South Laurel players, North Laurel coach Chris Edwards and South Laurel coach Carly Mink. On the baseball diamond, two local athletes competed in the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game. Whitley County’s Luke Hillard and Corbin’s Trey Person competed in the class of 2027 game hosted at Centre College.

  Whitley County baseball’s trip to Lexington was short lived after a first round loss to Apollo, 5-3. The Colonels end the season 38-4.  

Malachi Brown’s commitment to the University of Kentucky was announced on Sunday. The Corbin offensive tackle recorded 66 tackles and eight sacks during his junior season with the Redhounds. Brown chose the Wildcats over Tennessee, Louisville and Purdue.

While the players on the field are the ones who will win or lose the ballgame, it is the crowd in the stands that reminds the team who they are playing for. “We don’t want to play for ourselves. We want to play for those alumni that built this thing. We want to play for our school. We want to play for our community,” said Whitley County Baseball Head Coach Jeremy Shope. The community and the players have a symbiotic relationship – the team plays for the community, and the community supports the team. “With the community behind us, they build our confidence,” explained Senior Dee Parker. That confidence is evident as assistant...

Whitley County Baseball Head Coach Jeremy Shope’s team consistently led in state rankings this season. As the top team based on RPI, the Colonels’ appeared an additional 29 times in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) stat leaders report as of Tuesday morning. Those rankings include: Hits 20th – Cooper Parman (52) 21st – Ethan Allen (51) 27th – Luke Hillard (51) 44th – Kip Allen (48) Doubles 12th – Cooper Parman (16) 29th – Luke Hillard (14) Triples 47th – Ethan Allen (4) Base on Balls 6th – Ethan Allen (36) 35th – Kip Allen (28) RBI 20th – Cooper Parman (45) 27th – Luke Hillard (44) 39th – Ethan Allen (41) Runs 4th...

“If you believe, then a lot of good things are gonna happen.” This is how Whitley County Baseball Head Coach Jeremy Shope described his team’s mentality ahead of the school’s third state tournament appearance. The Colonel’s will take on Apollo in the first round at 1:30 p.m. on Friday at Legends Field in Lexington. The impact of experience For most of the team’s roster, Friday’s game will be their first time participating in a Kentucky High School Athletic Association baseball state tournament. There are four players, however, who have been to the tournament before and know what it takes to win. Seniors Dee Parker and Kaden Powers were freshman the last time Whitley County made...

Luke Hillard, Spencer Bargo, Kip Allen and Ethan Allen received 13th Region All-Tournament honors on May 28.