Steve Kemp Named to College Baseball Hall of Fame

LOS ANGELES – The College Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 2023 class this week and USC baseball great Steve Kemp was among those to be inducted.
 
Kemp, who played at USC from 1973-75, led the Trojans to a pair of College World Series titles (1973, 1974) and in one of the greatest offensive seasons ever in college baseball, earned first-team All-American status in 1975.
 
One of the greatest hitters in USC history, Kemp batted .435 in the 1975 season, leading USC in average, home runs (13), RBI (67), hits (90) and runs (53). Kemp finished with a career batting average of .397 which is still the school record. His .435 average in 1975 is also still the top single-season batting average in USC history, and Kemp sits third all-time in career slugging percentage (.665) and seventh in career triples (11).
 
Kemp went on to be drafted No. 1 overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 1976 MLB Draft. He played 11 major league seasons with the Tigers (1977–1981), Chicago White Sox (1982), New York Yankees (1983–1984), Pittsburgh Pirates (1985–1986) and Texas Rangers (1988). Kemp earned All-Star recognition in 1979 and hit .278 lifetime with 130 home runs and 634 RBI.
 
Kemp is the eighth player in Trojan history named to the Hall since its inception in 2006. He joins Rod Dedeaux (2006), Fred Lynn (2007), Roy Smalley (2013), Bill Bordley (2014), Wally Hood (2019), Rich Dauer (2021) and Art Mazmanian (2022).
 
The College Baseball Foundation announced that 12 former collegiate standouts will be part of what is the 16th induction class to the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The inductees will be honored at the Night of Champions presented by Prairiefire on February 15, 2024 in Overland Park, Kansas.