How Stewart County baseball's Connor Lehman, Alabama signee, honors his late mother at every game

DOVER — Brett Lehman played high school baseball, just like his son does now. But he's deferential regarding the source of Connor Lehman's athletic gifts.

According to Brett, the height and left arm that have made Stewart County's Connor Lehman into an Alabama baseball signee and potential MLB Draft pick comes from Connor's mother. It was Amie Lehman who put 4-year-old Connor in T-ball. It was Amie who taught Connor how to, in his words, "go out there and give it my all." It was Amie who was Connor's biggest fan; who never missed a game throughout her nine-year battle with breast cancer.

Amie died in 2018, when Connor was 11. Ever since, Connor has worn a glove with pink highlights and Amie's initials on it. There's pink on his cleats, too. He often wears pink socks. It's his tribute to his mother and to the pink ribbon that is the symbol of hope and strength for those facing breast cancer.

"She's my role model," Connor said. "She's the one that got my inspiration to play baseball, and she was there ever since."

Amie was a softball star at Stewart County, and Connor has followed in her footsteps. Heading into the Rebels' District 12-2A tournament opener against Waverly on Thursday, Connor is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA. Opponents have had few answers for the senior's low-90s fastball and sweeping curveball, which have produced 61 strikeouts in 30⅔ innings.

"I don't think anybody could have projected exactly the arc of his career so far, but there was definitely inclination," said Stewart County coach Austin Byrd. "... The first year, it was like, 'Holy smokes, this kid's 14 years old and he's got a harder work ethic than any player I've ever known.'"

Brett knew Connor, a natural left-hander who's grown to 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, had potential based on his physical attributes. Colleges started to see it after Connor's sophomore season, during which he pitched for 5 Star National out of Georgia with a fastball around 88 mph. A back injury ended Connor's junior season after just three starts, but he recovered in time for the summer ball circuit, where, in Brett's words, "It just took off."

Austin Peay was Lehman's first offer, followed by a few more mid-majors: Lipscomb, East Tennessee State, Western Carolina. Alabama wasn't the only SEC school to take an interest in Lehman, but he loved his visit to Tuscaloosa so much — the coaches, the facilities, the resources — that he canceled trips to Georgia and Mississippi State. By August, he had settled on the Crimson Tide.

But will Lehman actually suit up for them? In February, scouts from the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers came to Dover to watch Lehman pitch in a scrimmage against Cheatham County. Brett said there have been scouts at all of Connor's starts this spring, anywhere between five and 12, and at this point, Connor has "probably 27" MLB teams in his contacts.

Connor, who Perfect Game USA ranks as the top left-handed pitcher prospect in Tennessee, doesn't know how likely he is to be chosen in the draft, which will take place July 14-16 — two weeks after he's scheduled to report to Alabama. But he understands there's a chance. He's not opposed to signing a professional contract if he is drafted, but said "a couple factors" would go into that decision.

"Things can always change," Brett said. "But right now, Alabama is his ticket."

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Wherever Lehman pitches next year, he'll have his entire community behind him. Rural Stewart County, population 13,657, has produced just two Major Leaguers: Erv Brame and Bernie Walter, who were teammates on the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1930. Lehman is believed to be the first Rebel, in any sport, to sign with an SEC school.

Brett Lehman thinks the county felt "kind of a shock" when Connor made his commitment public — not just because of how rare it was, but because Connor is "not a big attention grabber." Few in Dover even knew he'd been talking to the Crimson Tide. Since the announcement, though, an unofficial fan club of elementary schoolers has grown around Connor. He's given them lessons, including one 9- or 10-year-old who gifted Connor an Alabama hat in thanks.

"I get to represent the school I've been at my whole life," Lehman said. "I hope to be an inspiration to some of the younger athletes. It's possible, even through you're from a small town."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Why Stewart County baseball's Connor Lehman, Alabama signee, wears pink