Kemp moves on to the MLB with Rangers

After a solid career at IU, Joe Kemp signed a contract with Texas Rangers May 25. Kemp was picked by the Rangers in the 42nd round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. He is currently in Arizona preparing for his upcoming career with the Rangers.\n"This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid," Kemp said in a statement. "I worked so hard in college to get to this point, and I'm just excited to get the opportunity to go play with the Rangers". \nKemp is one of the few Hoosiers that has made it to the majors. Other IU players that made it to the big leagues recently were Cody Wargo, who was drafted in the 27th round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2004, Seth Bynum who was picked by the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) and Kevin Mahar who also previously signed with the Rangers.\nDespite being selected low in the draft, Kemp still has the opportunity to make it the major leagues. In the past, players have been selected low in the draft and have gone on to stardom in the big league, including Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers (39th round), New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza (62nd round), and Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle (38th round).\nKemp began his career in Bowie, Md., playing for Riverdale Baptist High School. Kemp was named Most Valuable Pitcher, and was also a member of the second team all-metro his junior and senior year in high school. \nWhile attending IU, Kemp accomplished many goals. He tied for fourth in the Big Ten with four triples, and was ninth in batting with a .537 batting average in 2004. In addition to those statistics, he also was co-Big Ten Player of the Week three times in his career.\nKemp finished his career with batting average above .300, 22 home runs, and 144 RBIs. His numbers put him in the top-10 for doubles triples and extra-base hits.\nBecause of his achievements he will be sorely missed by IU next season, Hoosier coach Bob Morgan said in a statement.\n"Joe has been a solid baseball player at Indiana," he said. "He has been the most feared hitter in our line up, and he put together his best season this past year. We wish him well in his professional career, and we feel he will do very well"