The Jeff Davis Parish School Board voted unanimously Thursday to name the Jennings High School baseball field after the late coach Danny Reed, who died last October in a boating accident.

Former sheriff Ricky Edwards, who led a petition to name the baseball field in honor of Reed, said it is only fitting to name the field in memory of the late teacher, coach and administrator.

“I think this is a tribute to the man’s legacy,” Edwards said. “This is a great way to honor a man who left his mark on baseball in Jeff Davis Parish.”

“It’s quite an honor and we are very humbled,” Reed’s wife, Becky said. “If I had my way he’d be buried under the pitcher’s mound.”

Edwards said Reed was instrumental in getting young people interested in baseball. A legacy that continues with his grandson, a freshman on the Jennings High School baseball team.

“Danny Reed is Mr. Baseball as far as Jennings goes,” Edwards said. “When he came here, he just seemed to jump right into baseball and making sure the young people knew the game and the skills of baseball.

“He truly believed in his faith in God, in baseball and helping others learn the game of baseball which helped them in their life.”

Edwards said he obtained just 52 signatures in less than 48 hours supporting naming the field for Reed. The School Board’s policy requires only 50 names of registered voters.

A public hearing on Feb. 10 drew no opposition to the request to name the baseball field in recognition of Reed.

Reed began his coaching career at Holy Savior Menard High School in Rapides Parish and later served as head baseball coach and assistant football coach at Jennings High School. Over the 23 years of his coaching career, he coached multiple college and professional athletes and won multiple state and district championships.

He was school administrator from 1994-2013. He also served at Welsh Elementary School for four years and his last 15 years as an assistant principal at Jennings High School.

Since 2011, the School Board has named several gyms, a football stadium and a press box in honor of local academic and athletic leaders who have had an impact on students and local communities through the parish’s athletics and educational system.