Amber Philpott, right, was inducted into the Kentucky Prep Softball Hall of Fame for her pitching performances at Harrison County
WKYT-TV anchor Amber Philpott recently was inducted into the Kentucky Prep Softball Hall of Fame recently but if not for her grandmother she would never have developed into an all-state pitcher at Harrison County.
“I wanted to play T-Ball but my mom just left the permission slip she needed to sign for me to play on the table. It was like she thought if she just left it I would forget about it,” Philpott said on WPBK-FM radio. “My grandmother saw it and thought she had forgotten it. She turned it in for them. I got to play T-ball and my career took off because of my grandmother.”
Philpott was one of the “pioneers” of softball in Kentucky when it went from slow pitch to fast pitch like it is now.
“In eighth grade, we were still playing slow pitch. At Harrison County we actually played in both (fast and slow) state tournaments,” Philpott said.
She admits she was not the best player on the team and figured out as an eighth-grader she better find a way to create a spot for herself. Her father, Gary, helped her learn how to pitch.
“I played and pitched in nearly every game we played at Harrison County,” she said. “I am really competitive and that’s probably why I am in the Hall of Fame. I didn’t have a travel team to play on in the summer back then. I would come to Lexington to play with a team out of Henry Clay just to have something to do.”
Philpott was a second-team all-state pitcher her senior year and was picked to play in the East/West All-Star Game. She still recalls being put into the game to play in the outfield.
“I knew how to pitch and that was about it. When they sent me in to play outfield, my mom said she thought she was going to pass out because she knew I did not know what I was doing,” Philpott, who often works providing coverage for NCAA Tournament and/or bowl games, said.
She also had a unique softball nickname — Piggy — because of her pigtails.
“In my mind, I knew I would not be any good. I wanted to try and set myself apart and give the hitters a distraction,” she said. “It was not to look intimidating. I always played in pigtails with holes in my hat. My (batting) helmet had Piggy written all over it.”
Philpott never considered playing softball in college. She was realistic about her future.
“Broadcasting has taken me a lot farther than softball. I never took a college visit. I just filled out the paperwork to go to Morehead and they accepted me. I knew broadcasting was the only thing I wanted to do and Morehead prepared me. I graduated in May of 2003 and went to work with WYMT a few months later,” Philpott said.
She’s now been in the TV news business for 18 years and now anchors all four weeknight newscasts on WKYT.
“No day is the same. The last year has been one of the most challenging but also one of the most rewarding,” Philpott said. “I take great pride and responsibility in what we do. It’s an honor to serve our viewers.”
She says she learned “at the feet of the best” and that certainly includes WKYT co-anchor Sam Dick who will be retiring in November. They have worked together for 17 years.
“Sam allowed me to grow up beside him on the news desk. He never treated me any different than a working professional even when I was 23,” Philpott said. “It is bittersweet to learn your partner in crime that I spend more time with Monday through Friday than I do with my husband is leaving but I can’t wait to see what the next chapter in his life is like.”
