[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 114 (Friday, June 30, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E627-E628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING WHITLEY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 30, 2023

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the Whitley County High School Colonel Baseball Team and Coach Jeremy 
Shope for winning the 2023 Kentucky High School Athletic Association 
State Championship at the Kentucky Proud Park.
  The Colonels brought home the 13, Region's-first-ever state baseball 
title, returning top honors to the mountains for the first time since 
2001. Rising from defeat after a district championship loss, Whitley 
County closed out the season with an impressive 39-4 record, defeating 
LaRue County, South Warren, Henderson County, and finally beating the 
Shelby County Rockets 2-1 to earn the state tournament crown. Our 
mountain student athletes have a long-held legacy of competing with 
tremendous grit, talent, and pride, and I am personally proud of their 
determination and tenacity to show the entire state what our students 
are capable of achieving.
  When Coach Shope took over the helm of the baseball program in 2018, 
the Colonels had not made a tournament appearance since 2005. The team 
has since improved by leaps and bounds, steam rolling past their 
opponents, winning the regional title in 2021 and 2023, and sweeping 
the state tournament this

[[Page E628]]

year with skillful plays that they have tirelessly trained for.
  The Colonels were visibly determined to bring the state title back to 
the mountains. Grant Zehr, a senior pitcher, dominated the baseball 
mound with 96 pitches in the final game, earning the MVP award for the 
tournament. Bryce Anderson scored the first run thanks to an RBI ground 
out by Sam Harp, who scored again in the sixth inning by courageously 
stealing home plate, a rare feat at any level of competition. The 
team's stellar defense then held the Rockets to one run, securing the 
highly coveted banner for Whitley County High School.
  It is with great enthusiasm that I join the people of southern and 
eastern Kentucky in celebration of the Whitley County High School 
Baseball Team and the coaching staff for winning the state 
championship. Their achievement will undoubtedly encourage our young 
mountain student athletes to dream bigger, knowing the state title is 
always within reach with sheer perseverance, excellent coaching, and 
hard work.

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