December 21, 2006.

When Warren Central student and avid baseball fan Eric Smith died of brain cancer at age 16 in 2002, his many friends were inspired to offer a Warren Central baseball scholarship in his honor.

Now, a former Viking who has advanced to the pros is hoping the legacy carries on forever.

Florida Marlins relief pitcher Taylor Tankersley, who went to school with Smith, became best friends with him and spoke at his funeral, has initiated Eric’s Legacy, a scholarship program that will award one county student a college scholarship every year.

Criteria will include good grades, a connection to baseball and a promise of community service.

&#8220A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,” Jackie Robinson once said. That quote has become the basis and rallying cry for Eric’s Legacy.

Three finalists were chosen by a selection committee and a winner will be announced at a banquet on Wednesday night at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center.

The winner will receive a $15,000 award and the money distribution will be contingent on meeting the outlined criteria.

The scholarship was the brainchild of Tankersley, who left Warren Central for the University of Alabama, where he spent three stellar years. The Marlins drafted him with their first-round pick in the 2004 draft and he earned a call-up to the majors last season.

In Florida, he became the team’s set-up man out of the bullpen and will try to become its closer next season.

Memories of his years at Warren Central and his friendship with Smith remain strong, however.

The Vikings were at the pinnacle of the school’s baseball success. Fans would line the fences, setting up lawn chairs in advance to guarantee themselves a prime spot. Smith made every game he could, having to be pushed in a wheelchair to his spot behind home plate.

He threw out the first pitch at a Vikings’ game and quickly became the team’s biggest fan and inspiration. As his health deteriorated, Warren Central baseball became more and more important to him.

The effect he had on so many is immeasurable and organizers of Eric’s Legacy are hoping to continually increase the amount of the scholarship each year.

Tickets for the event are available for $50 and there will be a silent auction with autographed baseballs from major league players. The biggest prize will be a three-game trip for four to watch a Florida Marlins home series, which will include a tour of Dolphin Stadium, including the clubhouse and the dugouts.

Tickets will not be available at the door, but anyone interested can contact Tommy Tankersley at 601-634-1067, or 601-529-9459. Proceeds from the banquet will go toward funding next year’s scholarship and donations are tax deductible.

A love of baseball started the friendship between Tankersley and Smith, but that friendship went well beyond the game.

It became a legacy. Eric’s Legacy.