Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Adds Transfer
12/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 12, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State baseball coach Mike Batesole announced Thursday that Duke sophomore infielder Aaron Kempster will transfer to Fresno State in January 2003 and will be eligible to play immediately.
Kempster started 29 games at third base for Duke last season before being relegated to pinch hitting duty in mid-April with a shoulder injury. For the year, the Redding, Calif., native batted .285 with five doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs. Defensively, he recorded a .904 fielding percentage, committing eight errors in 83 chances.
A 2001 graduate of Foothill (Palo Cedro, Calif.) High School, Kempster was a four-year letterwinner while playing for coach Eric Levy. As a senior, he earned Northern Section California Interscholastic Federation MVP honors while recording a .603 batting average with three home runs and 36 RBI to help lead his team to a section title. Kempster was ranked among the top 100 prospects nationally by Baseball America and was rated the No. 23 prospect in California by Perfect Game/Baseball America. His junior year, he hit at a .450 clip and was named to the TPX All-American team. Academically, Kempster is a CSF lifetime member and was a recipient of the National English Merit Award.
"Aaron was a highly recruited player out of high school and we are extremely excited to have him join our program," Batesole said.
