Adena baseball retires number of late former player Eli Kunkel
FRANKFORT − From now on, whenever Adena baseball prepares for a game on its home field, it will always have an extra player watching over left field.
On Saturday afternoon, just before the first pitch of Adena's season opener against McClain, it hosted a small ceremony to retire the number of former player and late alumni Eli Kunkel. A gathering of Kunkel's family, including his mother, Corinna, and his father, Chuck, were present for the unveiling of a banner along the left field fence displaying Kunkel's name and his number, 18.
"For the family, it's obviously very emotional," Corinna said. "But it's also an honor to know that people still think of him and highly enough to give us the chance to actually retire his number. Personally, it's hard to see No. 18 out there on the field. But as an organization to retire it, it speaks to Eli as the person that he was. That's very heartwarming as a mom."
On the rise: Here are 10 Chillicothe area baseball players to watch during 2024 season
On the radar: 10 Chillicothe-area softball players to watch during the 2024 season
Kunkel was among the foundational players for the Warriors during their Scioto Valley Conference title runs in 2014 and 2015. He had earned First Team All-Scioto Valley Conference and First Team All-District, as well boasting a .483 batting average in his junior season and a .445 average as a senior. He passed away after a fight with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease on June 9, 2019. Kunkel graduated from Adena High School in 2015 and Ohio University Chillicothe in 2018 with a degree in computer technology.
Corinna said the project had been in development from around the time of Eli's diagnosis in 2018. Scott Hurtt, Adena's athletic director at the time, and Corinna made a "handshake promise" that Eli's number wouldn't be worn by any other Adena player. The only exception? Eli's younger brother, Ethan, got to wear 18 in honor of his brother.
But that handshake promise became a bound agreement just before the 2024 season. Adena baseball coach Seth McGuire reached out to the Kunkels in the fall. He saw what an impact Eli had made in the community, even five years after his passing, and he wanted to help honor one of the program's most accomplished alumni.
"When I took the job last year, I knew the Kunkel family and Eli a little bit," McGuire said. "I just know how important it is to people in the community, and especially my assistant coaches both played with him. It was just something where I felt like it was the right thing to do."
As part of the ceremony, Corinna gave a brief speech. She thanked the community and touched on the impact Eli left behind, both as a player and a person. Adena went on to beat McClain 10-4 that day, all the while Kunkel's banner flowed in the wind along the left field fence.
Was it good luck? Maybe Adena just rolled out to an easy win to start the year. McGuire knows one thing for certain − Kunkel's influence was felt Saturday.
"The win for this, we had an extra angel in the outfield today," McGuire said.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Adena baseball retires number of late alumni Eli Kunkel
