Stone High School immortalizes late coach, athletic director and father
It couldn’t have been a better day for the dedication of a ballpark and the celebration of an impactful man.
A new sign was unveiled at Stone High School’s baseball stadium on Saturday that officially changed its name to Kevin Conard Field.
Conard had led the baseball program for over 10 years before taking on an administrative role and serving as athletic director. He held the role for a year before his tragic passing shocked the community.
“His blood, sweat and tears are on this field,” Stone athletic director Adam Stone told the Sun Herald. “He coached here, it means a lot for our community and our school district to be able to put such a great name on our baseball field.”
Conard left behind his wife and three kids, including his son and South Alabama signee Gehrig Conard. Gehrig is in the middle of an extremely impressive season that has seen him make five starts on the mound and has allowed just one earned run in 30 innings.
On Saturday, Gehrig contributed at the plate with an RBI double and a run scored in an 8-3 win over Picayune in front of a packed crowd.
“The community really comes up and supports you,” Gehrig said. “I thought it was awesome. We plan to not lose another game here, at least this year. We’ll see how it goes.”
Stone’s win over Picayune was its 10th consecutive victory as the Tomcats have surged to a 13-3 record so far. Of all the wins Stone has piled up in 2022, none have been better than the one it honored Conard with on Saturday.
“It was a really special moment to be a part of, to be a part of the community,” head coach Sean Miller said. “A lot of people came out today to see baseball and it just made the day even better with the win. (Conard) was a special guy and he was committed to everything that he did. He never did anything halfway.”
Before the game began, roughly 30 former players took the field for the ceremony, as well as family members and friends of Conard.
The sign was revealed along with a new tree in right field planted in Conard’s honor and a sign on the left-field wall with one of Conard’s famous sayings: “Do a job.”
And in front of the additions lay the same grass, dirt and bases Stone has fiercely defended in 2022. The Tomcats are 6-1 at home and aiming for a trip to Pearl following last season’s season-ending series loss in South State.
“Win a state championship and go as far as we can go,” Gehrig said. “That’s the goal.”
