{"id":14302,"date":"2023-06-12T18:22:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T22:22:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.13thregionmedianetwork.com\/?p=14302"},"modified":"2023-06-12T18:22:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T22:22:40","slug":"from-coal-miners-son-to-state-champion-coach-jeremy-shopes-inspiring-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.13thregionmedianetwork.com\/?p=14302","title":{"rendered":"From coal miner\u2019s son to state champion coach: Jeremy Shope\u2019s inspiring story\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WILLIAMSBURG \u2014 Jeremy Shope’s journey to becoming a state champion coach began in Harlan.\u00a0
As the son of a coal miner, Shope witnessed the blue-collar work ethic firsthand from his father, which has played a significant role in his success as a high school coach at Whitley County High School.
\u201cHarlan has always been a special place to me,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is where my dad grew up as a coal miner\u2019s son. He then became a coal miner and I became a coal miner\u2019s son. We didn\u2019t have very much money but I learned the value of hard work. \u201cMy dad would wake up at 4 o\u2019clock in the morning go to work all day, come home and work in the garden, and then take us to the ball park,\u201d he added. \u201cHe was a very competitive guy, and still is. I can still remember like it was yesterday putting on that all star uniform for the first time.\u201d\u00a0
Wherever Shope has gone, he has always carried something with him.\u00a0
This includes the valuable advice he received from his college coach, as well as his experience as head coach at Mercer County, where he led the Titans to two state title game appearances.
In 2018, Shope assumed leadership of the Whitley County baseball program, which had not qualified for the 13th Region Tournament since 2006.\u00a0
However, during his first year as head coach, Shope led the Colonels to the region tournament. In 2021, he guided the team to its first region championship, and this season, he led them to their first state championship.
\u201cI learned from my college baseball coach that you have to set the highest of goals,\u201d he admitted. \u201cFrom day one at Whitley, our goal was to win a region and go try to compete to win a state championship. I didn\u2019t know how long it would take or if it would ever happen, but that is something that I will always expect.
\u201cIt has been a lot of hard work over the past six years here at Whitley,\u201d Shope added. \u201cWe have had some awesome players and coaches that bought in and went to work. God blessed my family and me with a place that took us in and loved us. We had no idea what we were getting into when we came. We knew it was God\u2019s plan so we kept trusting. I\u2019m so proud for this program and community. I love the hunger for success.
\u201cOur program just believes in hard work,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe believe in playing for the guy next to him. We don\u2019t worry about anyone else. We worry about us. We believe that with a whole lot of love, and a whole lot of hard work, that anything is achievable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WILLIAMSBURG \u2014 Jeremy Shope’s journey to becoming a state champion coach began in Harlan.\u00a0As the son of a coal miner, Shope witnessed the blue-collar work […MORE]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,120],"tags":[177],"class_list":["post-14302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baseball","category-region","tag-l4-security-13th-region-media-network"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom coal miner\u2019s son to state champion coach: Jeremy Shope\u2019s inspiring story\u00a0 - 13th Region Media Network<\/title>\n<meta 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