This year has marked a new day in the history of Clark College baseball, so it makes sense to have a new field go along with it.
Today at 11:15 a.m., the Penguins will dedicate Vern Kindsfather Field on the school’s campus just before taking on Lower Columbia in a doubleheader.
Clark athletic director Denny Huston said that Vancouver mayor Tim Leavitt and several city councilmen are among the invitees to witness what will be a unique moment in the program’s history.
“This is the first time the field will ever be named for an individual,” Huston said. “Before it was just the Clark College baseball field.”
Jacob Vernon Kindsfather coached at Clark for 25 seasons before retiring in 1986 — his most notable player being former Major League All-Star relief pitcher Randy Myers. Kindsfather died in 2008 at the age 84, but certainly isn’t forgotten.
“He was very knowledgeable,” current Clark baseball coach Don Freeman said. “He got pretty good mileage out of his kids.”
This is the first year Clark has fielded a baseball team since 1992, and the Penguins didn’t play on campus back then but rather across the street. Huston praised the collective effort from alumni and other donors in relaunching the program this year.
The first game against NWAACC West Division-leading Lower Columbia is scheduled for noon and the second and at approximately 3 p.m. Lawn chairs are encouraged as seating may be limited.
Huston said that if it rains, the dedication will still take place inside the O’Connell Sports Center.
