Bill Herkelman began his involvement with the Kennedy baseball program when the high school opened 47 years ago in 1967 and he's still going strong as one of Kennedy's assistant coaches.

Now the Kennedy baseball facility is being named "Bill Herkelman Field" in his honor.

The ceremony will take place between games of Monday night's doubleheader against Iowa City West that starts at 5 p.m.

Herkelman worked as an assistant coach for nine seasons at Kennedy from 1968 to 1976, then compiled a 318-224 record in 16 seasons as the head coach from 1977 to 1992. He won five Metro tournaments, two Mississippi Valley Conference titles and took two teams to the state tournament, including a trip to the semifinals in 1983.

Herkelman "retired" as a Kennedy baseball coach in 1992, but he accepted an invitation from current head coach Bret Hoyer to rejoin the program in 2005 and has been working with the Cougars again ever since.

Herkelman is a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.