If he was not sure that he had really made a name for himself in his hometown before, Kevin Polcovich can be sure now as he is being inducted into the Auburn High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame dinner will be held Saturday at the Springside Inn.

“I had never really thought about being inducted,” Polcovich said. “It's nice to feel like the hometown athlete that made it to the big leagues. I will always consider Auburn my hometown and make it back at least once a year.”

Polcovich not only makes it back to visit family and friends but always tries to give back to the community by assisting in baseball clinics.

Some of Polcovich's pride in his hometown comes from Auburn's pride in him and his accomplishments in major league baseball.

“When I played in the major leagues there would be buses of people coming from Auburn to catch my game in Pittsburgh or to come up to Montreal for a weekend and cheer me on,” Polcovich said. “It was amazing to see that kind of support, some were people I didn't even know and they were taking a five hour bus trip just to see me play and cheer me on. That was a really cool experience for me.”

Polcovich, a 1988 Auburn High School graduate, went on to attend junior college in Panama City Florida and after five years playing in the minor leagues, Polcovich was a 30th round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin his professional career.

Before becoming a baseball player though, Polcovich got his start on a Maroons varsity baseball team that in 1988 made it to the state championship where it lost in a close game.

“We had a lot of great players on that team,” Polcovich said. “We made it all the way to the state championships and played really well there. Playing for Auburn really helped my baseball career along. I was surrounded by a solid cast of players that helped push me along and improved my game. Playing in the state championship game that year also helped my development as a player, playing in that type of setting was an incredible experience.”

That state championship team ended up being a stepping stone to Polcovich's career, where he ended up living his ultimate dream, playing as shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates for two years (1997-'98).

“It was a great honor, every kids dream,” Polcovich said. “To be playing in stadiums of some 30,000 people was a dream come true and it was also great that I got to do it so close to home. My parents got to come to a lot of games which meant a lot to me.”

Not only did Polcovich get to play baseball in front of thousands, including his hometown fans, but he also got to see what he said was the pinnacle of his career, his proof that he had finally made it.

“I got the biggest kick when I was watching a play I made being replayed over and over on ESPN and then to top it off and prove that I had finally made it in the big leagues, I got a nickname from Chris Berman, Roll-Out-The-Barrels Polcovich,” he said. “That was the best moment as a baseball player.”

Now Polcovich wants to be able to give a little bit of that pride in his accomplishments to his parents, especially with his hall of fame induction.

“It's not really about me,” Polcovich said. “It is more of an honor for my parents that I am glad to be able to give them. They gave me every opportunity, supported me in my every endeavor, when no one else believed that I could make it, they did and I owe all my success to their support in me.”

As for his advice to other Auburn High School students with big league dreams, Polcovich has a more short term perspective.

“I would tell any kid who wants to make it not to look too far down the road,” Polcovich said. “Think high school to college and then go on from there. I would also tell them to work at your game and be disciplined, anyone can make it happen, you just have to be willing to really work hard for it.”