ST. CHARLES – A silver cross laid gently on the dugout bench closest to home plate.

St. Charles North varsity baseball coaches Todd Genke, Justin Moriarty and Brett Wikierak were visiting the varsity field for a quiet moment of remembrance.

Kevin White, a 19-year-old who was a 2021 St. Charles North graduate and three-year varsity infielder and pitcher, died after a car crash Aug. 16 in St. Charles.

“I have no idea how it got there; it wasn’t ours,” Genke said of the cross honoring White. “No idea where it came from, but we all agreed that was a sign of Kevin.”

A photo of the 2019 Class 4A state runner-up team still is posted in the dugout. Genke had his back to the photo and Moriarty pointed out another moment that made Kevin, well, Kevin.

“Doesn’t that exemplify Kevin White right there? Look at the photo,” Genke said. “I turn and look and he’s the only one not looking at the camera because he’s still [upset] that we lost that game. Everyone else is kind of faking a smile. You could tell he was still [upset]. If that wasn’t Kevin White to a ‘T,’ I don’t know what is.”

No. 20, which White usually wore, has been retired in his honor.

Plans still are being made to honor White at the varsity field.

“That was his place of dreams,” Genke said. “That field was where he shined, where he had his happiest moments. We are just so blessed as a coaching staff – and I’m so blessed – to just have had the opportunity to share those experiences with Kevin.”

Several of White’s former high school baseball teammates shared their favorite memories and stories.

“Kevin was a character to say the least,” 2021 St. Charles North graduate and University of Notre Dame sophomore pitcher Zach Kempe said. “You never knew what was coming from Kevin. He would always bring light to any situation and he knew how to make any person laugh. His personality was contagious and it rubbed off on everyone.”

A memory Kempe will never forget stemmed from senior prom, laughing and messing around on the dance floor.

“On the diamond, though, Kevin would always battle no matter what situation we might be in,” Kempe said.

“He came out to the field and gave it everything he had day in and day out,” Kempe said. “It just seemed that Kevin loved being out there and competing with his brothers. At St. Charles North, the baseball team was a large family and Kevin was a major part of it and he left his legacy that will live on forever.

“He was such an amazing teammate, player, friend, but most importantly he was an even better person. We all miss him so dearly and while he may not be with us physically, the legacy and impact he left on his peers will never die.”

John Lambert, a 2020 St. Charles North graduate and left-handed pitcher at Southwestern Illinois College, first met White during their junior season in 2018.

“The first thing I had noticed … how humble and supportive he was for having such a high level of talent,” Lambert said. “He embodied this lovable personality that allowed him to make friends with anyone.

“He brought happiness and extra life to every dugout he was in without even saying a word. His presence meant so much to our team and more specifically among the friend group we shared as each passing moment spent with him was more than a blessing.”

Nick DeMarco, who also is a Notre Dame sophomore, said White’s walk-off hits and diving plays “are not what defines who he was.”

“He was a hell of a player, but an even better teammate,” DeMarco said. “He was the definition of the ultimate clubhouse guy and it was a pleasure to call him my friend and brother.

“Kev was the guy that never said no to getting extra work in. It was always ‘yes sir, no sir’ with respect that he meant. I can’t remember a time he didn’t have a smile on his face or was making someone else laugh. I’m certain that wherever his life would have taken him, he would have been successful and continued to make people smile and change lives for the better.”

Recalling the 2019 state run, Kyler Brown, a 2020 St. Charles North graduate, said “we could not have done it without [White].”

“If we needed someone on base, Kevin would be the one,” Brown said. “He would just put the bat down and find a way to get on base. If the pitch was 10 feet above his head, he would slap up the bat. … He’d find a hole. He was someone that we relied on.”

Brown also had these words:

“Death is life’s greatest teacher,” Brown said. “Everyone who is reading this: Life can get swept beneath you at any moment. Laugh, smile and love everyday like it could be your last. I know that’s what Kevin would want from us.”