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Photo courtesy of Wes Kelley
Wes Kelley, left, with son on Vestavia Hills High School's trip to Arizona in spring 2026. Photo courtesy of Wes Kelley.
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Photo courtesy of Wes Kelley
Wes Kelley celebrates the 2023 Vestavia Hills High School baseball state championship with his son. Photo courtesy of Wes Kelley.
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Photo courtesy of Wes Kelley
Wes Kelley, far left, celebrates the 2023 Vestavia Hills High School state championship with family. Photo courtesy of Wes Kelley.
Wes Kelley has been around Vestavia Hills High School baseball long enough to know what the jersey means.
He wore it as the starting shortstop and team captain on the 1997 state championship team. He has coached alongside the program for the better part of two decades. And when Jamie Harris stepped down after 11 seasons, Kelley was the man the program turned to next.
"I am so excited, and I'm humbled to serve in this role," Kelley said. "This program has meant so much to me and all the other former players and coaches that have been at Vestavia."
Kelley assumes to the role with a resume that took him from Vestavia to Troy University, where he played before serving as a graduate assistant and first base coach, then to Brewbaker Tech in Montgomery as head coach, then to Bob Jones High School, then to Pelham under Jeff Mauldin, before coming back to Vestavia in 2009.
His primary goal, he said, is simple: keep the legacy alive.
"My goal is just to make sure that Coach Dunn's legacy continues as long as we can keep it going," Kelley said, referencing the legendary Sammy Dunn, who won nine state championships at Vestavia Hills. "It goes deeper than the baseball game. It's the importance of doing things the right way, carrying ourselves with first-class character in everything we do."
Kelley said the coaching staff will remain largely intact, with Ryan Halla and Kris Thomas returning alongside veteran coach Ben McCullars. There is a chance one or two additional assistants could be added at the freshman or JV level, but the core group that helped Harris win the program's first state title since 2000, back in 2023, will be back in place.
That 2023 championship, Kelley said, was a moment he will never forget.
"It was a culmination of all the great work that Jamie had done with the program," he said. "It just meant so much to bring that state championship back to Vestavia."
When Kelley was named head coach, his phone lit up with messages from former players spanning decades, the 1970s, 1980s, 2000s and beyond. The outpouring reinforced what he already knew about what he was stepping into.
"It's such a proud program," he said. "I'm excited to keep it going."
Looking ahead, Kelley said he is eager to see what a strong senior class can bring in the upcoming season. Rising seniors Charlie Taaffe, a shortstop who also starts at quarterback for the football team, and outfielder Cohen Walker, who recently committed to UAB, headline a group Kelley described as talented and full of positive leaders.
As for the moment he hands a lineup card at home plate for the first time as Rebels head coach, Kelley said it will hit differently than any of the hundreds of games he has coached before.
"It'll definitely be very humbling and exciting," he said.
