Hal Hempen attended Carlyle High School and played for Gary
Wheeler, one of the most successful coaches in Illinois
history. Hal played on the 1981 State Baseball Championship
team before coming to Kaskaskia College on a baseball
scholarship.
Hal played baseball for Kaskaskia College from 1983 to
1985. Hal started twenty-six games with twenty-one complete
games; he pitched 188 innings with 136 strikeouts. Hal had an
ERA of 4.40 and he held his opponents to a .252 batting
average.
Hal was offered a scholarship to Southeast Missouri State
University and subsequently set the school record for saves in a
season with ten saves. His record held for twenty-one years
when it was finally broken with thirteen saves. Hal still
holds the number 2 record for career saves. In 1987 Hal had
twenty-two appearances.
Hal went on to play professionally in the St. Louis Cardinals
and Kansas City Royals organizations. With the St. Louis Cardinal
organization, Hal played for the Johnson City Cardinals and the
Savannah Cardinals. With Kansas City, Hal played for the
Appleton Foxes and Gulf Coast League Royals.
Hal’s record in professional baseball included 99 strike outs
in 108 innings with a 4.17 ERA and a 7-7 record.
After his professional career, Hal returned to Kaskaskia College
as an assistant coach for baseball and mentored the next generation
of ball players. His legacy to the college includes the Hal
B. Hempen Memorial Scholarship. Hal was inducted posthumously
into the Kaskaskia College Athletic Hall of Fame.