"“I wasn’t looking to leave . . . This is one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.....coach Greg Shelton"

Thursday, August 12, 2004

One of the best high school baseball coaching duos in the state has left Franklin-Simpson.

Head coach Greg Shelton, twice named Kentucky’s Baseball Coach of the Year and a Hall of Fame candidate, will leave F-S for an assistant coaching position at Beech High School in Tennessee if his paperwork clears.

His longtime assistant, Johnny Vance, took over the baseball program at Barren County High earlier this year.

Shelton’s story can be likened to a “Field of Dreams.”

He came to F-S as a 22-year-old fresh out of college. The Wildcats had won only 22 of 85 games the prior six seasons and had no high school playing field. Over the next 29 years, Shelton, with the assistance of Vance for the last 13 years, built one of the top high school baseball programs and playing facilities in the state.

Shelton’s record (678-315-2) speaks for itself. He averaged 23 wins per spring, posted four 30-win campaigns and won at least 20 games 21 times. He had only one losing record and is just five games shy of coaching in 1,000 games.

Along the way, he guided the Cats to their first-ever baseball state championship in 1991. He also captured two sectional titles, six Region 4 crowns and 10 district championships.

“I am very proud of what we accomplished. I enjoyed every bit of it. I had a couple of chances to go different places, but I wouldn’t do anything over,” said Shelton.

Shelton said his only regret is leaving the kids, especially the juniors, who lost a classmate in a car accident just before tournament time.

“I feel bad for these kids. They’ve been through so much,” he said. “But, I feel like I’m leaving them in good hands. Craig (Delk) will do a fine job if they give him a chance.”

Delk is certainly one of the up-and-coming coaches in the state, taking over a Warren East program that struggled in the difficult 14th District. By his fourth year as head coach, the former F-S and Murray State baseball player had guided the Raiders to their first district crown since 1988.

Delk returned to F-S this season as an assistant coach in place of Vance but was suddenly thrust into the head coaching role. F-S Athletic Director Tim Schlosser said he had spoken to Delk, and if Shelton resigns as head baseball coach, then Delk will be offered the job.

“If we didn’t have someone the caliber of Craig Delk, then I don’t think Greg would have resigned,” said Schlosser.

Shelton said his decision to leave Franklin-Simpson was strictly a financial one. In addition to the assistant baseball coaching position, Shelton will also return to the classroom at Beech High School, which has approximately 1,150 students.

“I wasn’t looking to leave . . . This is one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. But, sometimes you have to put your family first . . . I’m also at the point in my life where I want to enjoy the game and not worry about all of the headaches. I’ll be able to do that as an assistant coach,” said Shelton.