Lodi dedicates softball field to former coach Rob Terhune
Darren Cooper
LODI − Hailed as a cornerstone of the Lodi athletics community, Rob Terhune now has a corner section of Lodi that bears his name.
The longtime Lodi High School softball and basketball coach, who died at 58 years old in March 2024 after complications related to cancer, was honored Monday afternoon.
The Rams’ softball field in Kennedy Park was formally named Terhune Field before the team’s game against Wood-Ridge (a 13-9 loss).
“Coach Terhune was more than just a coach, a teacher, a mentor, a family member and a friend; he shaped lives of countless players in basketball and softball,” Lodi athletic director Alyson Gorski said as part of a pregame ceremony. “Whether on the court or on the field, he always led with passion. His heart was never halfway in, it was always fully invested.”
The ceremony included Lodi principal Michael Attanasio, Lodi deputy mayor Vincent Martin and members of Terhune’s family, including his wife, Melissa, and son Anthony. Former Lodi athletic director Pat Tirico threw out the honorary first pitch.
“On and off the field, Coach Terhune taught us the value of teamwork, hard work and dedication,” said Jessica Wagner, speaking on behalf Rams softball alumnae. “What set him apart was his unwavering belief in each one of us.”
Former Lodi softball coach Billy Schroen, who is also Terhune’s brother-in-law, detailed the history of Kennedy Park in his pregame remarks, noting it was a field that Terhune had played on himself as a child.
“How cool is it that when we come to this place, we are now at Robert T. Terhune Field,” Schroen said. “It’s still the mecca complex for sports in Lodi.”
Plans for a naming ceremony on Opening Day were scrapped because of bad weather. There is a sign underneath the scoreboard down the first base line that reads ‘Robert T. Terhune Softball Field.’
First-year Lodi softball coach Emma Bernardo is a product of the Lodi athletic program and played for Terhune before graduating in 2018. She has carried over many pieces of his philosophy.
“He would stress that you always put in 100 percent all the time, and he would say that the score is always 0-0, whether you’re winning by 10 runs or down by 10 runs,” Bernardo said. “We laugh about some of the things he would say, like ‘put an anchor on it’ if there was a bad throw and the ball sailed, but we still say ‘together on three’ because that’s how we ended every practice.”
Bernardo served as a volunteer coach for Terhune her last two years at The College of New Jersey, arranging her schedule to be around the Rams as much as she could. Last year, Schroen coached the Rams, but Bernardo is now ensconced in town, teaching pre-K and living near what is now Terhune Field.
The Rams won the league title in 2017 and finished 18-7, Bernardo was the only senior in 2018. She remembers Terhune’s giving nature, quick jokes and how he missed a Springsteen concert because he had to present her for Senior Awards.
“When we had Senior Day at the field, I was the only one,” Bernardo said. “He called it Emma Day and he had to talk about me for 20 minutes. It’s amazing to me how much he did. I give him so much credit. I wish he was still around.”
