by Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
For the high school baseball world within Lake County, it is hard to say “play ball” without thinking about Coach Kerry Whetro and his lifetime of dedication to America’s favorite pastime and hundreds of high school athletes that he has had the opportunity to not only coach, but also mentor in a way that only a hometown-style coach can do.
Coach Whetro officially wrapped up a 42-year career at the closure of this school year. A career that would include a move to Florida from Ohio and 600+ total baseball game wins. Coach Whetro speaks with fondness regarding his childhood memories that would eventually lead to his lifetime of commitment to youth baseball coaching. “My dad, Hal, was a big influence on my life and my interest in baseball. My dad was a referee, umpire, and Little League coach for 50 years in our small and very rural hometown of Edgerton, Ohio,” says Coach Whetro.
The Coach recalls family vacations every year that included traveling to the Little League World Series. “I was playing little league myself then, so the trips were very exciting. We had the opportunity to meet baseball greats such as Tommy John (also known as the Bionic Man), Pete Rose, and Cal Ripken (also known as the Iron Man), while at the World Series,” says Coach Whetro.
Credit was also given to Coach Whetro’s school math teacher and baseball coach when he was growing up. Coach Peverly was not only a coach but a man who took the extra step in helping his players and his students. “He taught me a lot, about a lot of things. Mr. Peverly’s math skills taught me how to use protractors and calculate dimensions such as square footage and yards,” says Coach Whetro. Those skills would eventually help Coach Whetro to lay out the brand new and first baseball field at East Ridge High School in 2003.
From the early days of volunteering at the local recreation department in Edgerton during his early teen years, Coach Whetro would go on to play high school baseball before graduating high school and then earn his first degree in physical education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio. He would later earn his master’s degree in education leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University, where he also helped coach a local Little League team. “Edgerton was a small farm town with little to offer long term – the only way out for kids graduating high school was sports or college,” says Coach Whetro.
When asked about memorable moments, Coach Whetro credited his hometown environment for his determination and unwillingness to give up on things that seemed impossible. “I was raised in a small community with a single small school, kindergarten through 12th grade, and the small towns in Ohio were very judgmental about their local sports,” says Whetro. The coach recalls one such time when a rumor reached him outlining the opinion of a few parents that the team he was coaching at the time would never win a game due to the team’s size and small selection of talent to choose from within the town. Coach Whetro recalls, with a spirited smile, that the team not only won a majority of its games that year, but also advanced to the state finals that season. “We were only one pitch away from advancing to the final 4 that season – a little disappointed but the team, and parents were very pleased with the season,” says Coach Whetro.
For the next 14 years, Coach Whetro would teach elementary physical education and middle school math, as well as coach high school baseball at his hometown school in Edgerton. During that time, Coach Whetro was named coach of the All-Ohio Baseball Team in 1997. “I really enjoyed teaching just as much as I did coaching, especially when I got to see a kid go to college and make their dreams come true – a sentiment that continued through my entire career,” says Coach Whetro.
Life would lead to a brand-new opportunity for Coach Whetro and his wife, Paula, when the couple made the move to Florida in 1999. The family was truly travelling to Florida on spiritual faith, as the future was not certain, but the feeling of “a calling” was. Coach Whetro’s wife was working on a plan to create what would later become Building Blocks Ministries, an assistance program for adults with disabilities in south Lake County. This dream became a success and is still in operation today. Coach Whetro, at the same time, had been interviewed by phone with success and acceptance for a teaching position at the brand-new Windy Hill Middle School in Clermont. He began his Florida baseball coaching career at South Lake High School.
In 2003, Coach Whetro was asked to take on the Varsity Coaching position and set up the new baseball field at East Ridge High School. Coach Whetro led the school’s first baseball team to an 18-14 season. The team, which had no senior class that year, played in the regional final, making it to the final 8 in the state. The team was also the district runner-up that year.
The next year, Coach Whetro transferred to South Lake High School, where he enjoyed 9 continuous years of coaching with an impressive record of 175 wins against 92 losses, including one regional appearance in the final 16 and 1 district championship.
In 2019, Coach Whetro would make his final move to Lake Minneola High School, where records would be set, and young lives would receive opportunities that could make dreams come true. With a compilation of 169 wins vs 60 losses and one district runner-up, Coach Whetro also led the hard-working team to 7 district championships and 7 regional appearances. The team also finished in the Sweet-16 three times – a school record. One regional finals appearance also set a school record for the team advancing to the state playoffs.
Coach Whetro maintains an impressive career history, but he is quick to acknowledge the successes of students off the field as well as on. Sixty team players from Lake Minneola High School went on to attend college after graduating high school during Coach Whetro’s watch of 22 seasons. “It is harder for students/team players in Florida because there are so many kids here that are really good at playing baseball. Their work ethic is strong, and they are determined. I saw many half-day students attend workouts hours before ball practice began. Kids here care about their future and their present,” says Coach Whetro.
To many who know Coach Whetro, that determination and desire reflect not only his coaching abilities but his personality as well. Former Lake Minneola High School Principal Linda Shephard Miller – Mama Hawk, is quoted as saying in a 2021 Daily Commercialinterview honoring Coach Kerry Whetro’s 500th win, “that she considered hiring Coach Kerry Whetro as one of the best decisions that she’s ever made for the school’s athletic program.”
One of Coach Whetro’s traits was his ability to communicate the word of God to students and players when they approached him with spiritual questions. “I couldn’t approach them, but if they approached me, I could share the word of God without preaching scripture. There are ways to do that without causing problems – referring to the public-school policies of church and state,” says Coach Whetro. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes would often hold pregame devotions and post-game prayer for those who wanted to participate.
Coach Whetro attributes his success to family, especially his wife Paula, who has remained at his side from the beginning of their marriage. His other coaching assistants include daughter Lora, son Bryan, daughter-in-law Veronica, and three grandchildren, Sophia, Wyatt, and Savannah.
What’s next for Coach Whetro, one might ask. It likely is not a couch and remote control as Coach Whetro and his wife continue their ministry of preaching the gospel in the Clermont area. The coach enjoys helping and watching his grandson Wyatt’s baseball team in Eustis. The couple enjoys vegetable gardening and is researching fun ways to grow food. The couple is also active members of the Kiwanis Club of Clermont, and Paula remains an active founding board member of the Building Blocks, the organization that she founded.
The staff at South Lake Tablet sincerely thanks you, Coach, for your many years of service to youth and community. We wish you and your family the best in your next chapter of life.
(Photos obtained from Coach Whetro)
