Cedar Rapids Kernels pay tribute to former player, Nick Adenhart

Admin Jul. 7, 2011 9:36 am Updated: Jul. 7, 2011 9:36 am

The Cedar Rapids Kernels paid tribute to a former player on Tuesday by awarding a memorial scholarship in his honor.

Emily Saville, a 2011 graduate from Linn-Mar High School, was the first-ever recipient of the Nick Adenhart Memorial Scholarship. The presentation took place before the Kernels July 5 ballgame against the Burlington Bees.

Saville was a three-sport athlete at Linn-Mar and was also the president of SODA (Students Opposed to Drugs and Alcohol). She finished school with a 3.89 GPA and will continue her education at Central College in Pella this fall.

Nick Adenhart pitched for the Kernels in 2006 and was rated the top prospect in the Los Angeles Angels organization heading into the 2009 season.

He made it to the big leagues in 2008, but the 22-year-old's promising career was cut tragically short when he was killed by a drunk driver on April 9, 2009 - hours after pitching six shutout innings against the Oakland A's in his 2009 Angels debut.

The Adenhart family, in conjunction with the Kernels Foundation, will continue to honor Nick by presenting a $1,000 scholarship each year in his memory.

In addition to the memorial scholarship, Adenhart's No. 21 jersey has been retired by the Kernels.