Hall of Fame coach and baseball umpire Eldridge Rogers has passed away due to complications from a recent stroke. He was 81.
Rogers was a member of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, the Heritage Bank Christian County High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, and the Kentucky Academic Association Hall of Fame.
His impact was felt by many in athletic circles throughout western Kentucky.
Rogers was the first athletic director at Christian County High School from 1965-68. He started the girls’ track and cross-country programs at the school and also coached the Colonels’ baseball program from 1963-65 and the girls’ track team in 1968.
Rogers coached the Colonel baseball team for three seasons, amassing a 46-11 record. However, he is more widely known for his contributions as an umpire, which included 26 years at the high school level where he officiated 26 straight district and region tournaments and umpired in 12 state tournaments.
Rogers also started the Pennyrile Umpires Association where he trained, assigned, and supervised baseball umpires until 2006. He also was the supervisor for the state baseball and softball tournaments.
He was also involved in officiating high school volleyball once the sport took off in western Kentucky in the early 2000s.
Rogers was most recently the volleyball coach at Heritage Christian Academy. In two stints at the Hopkinsville private school, he coached the Lady Warriors to a KCAA state title in 2011 and consecutive runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2013.
He retired from coaching in 2019 after a 21-15 season and the school’s 16th consecutive region title.
Outside of coaching and umpiring, Rogers was the long-time director of student activities at Hopkinsville Community College and was the Trigg County Recreation Complex director during a time of growth in the 2010s.
Most important, Rogers was a mentor to young coaches and umpires just getting into the profession. He was also a strong source of guidance to the athletes he coached.
King’s Funeral Home in Cadiz will be in charge of the arrangements.
