Tom Kuempel (2019) - Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame

Tom Kuempel

Induction:
2019
Class:
1998

Tom Kuempel’s Marshall baseball career began with a whisper but ended with thunder. The Port Orange, Fla., native transferred to Marshall after playing one season at Bluefield State and in his first season as a member of the Thundering Herd batted .167 with no home runs and two runs batted in in only 30 at bats. Things changed significantly during his junior season when Kuempel blossomed to bat .331 while blasting 14 home runs and driving in 39 runs, but even that was just a whisper of what would follow. As Marshall made the move to the Mid-American Conference for the 1998 season, MAC pitchers had no idea of what was about to hit them. Kuempel exploded for one of the most dominant seasons in Marshall and MAC history as he won the league’s Triple Crown, batting 435 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs. Kuempel was named the MAC Player of the Year. At that time his batting average was the fourth-best in school history, his home run total was five more than any Marshall player had hit in a season, and he broke the school’s single-season RBI record by 17. His 156 total bases and .848 slugging percentage remain as the school records. At the conclusion of his career he was the school’s career leader with 34 home runs and his .370 career batting average was in Marshall’s Top Five. Kuempel was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.