Freshman walk-off: Ole Miss’ Kemp Alderman delivers first career HR, teammates rip off jersey in celebration

Ole Miss trailed by 8 runs in the eighth inning, but the Rebels fought back into the game on Saturday against LSU, and in the end, freshman Kemp Alderman delivered his first career home run on a blast to right field.

Aldermen helped the Rebels finish the comeback in a 10-9 win over LSU at Oxford-University Stadium. The win helped Ole Miss avoid a sweep by LSU, which had already claimed the series in their 7-2 win on Friday.

“As soon as I hit it I knew it was gone and I kind of blacked out after that,” Alderman said, per the Oxford Eagle. “It was just a crazy feeling. One I will never forget. …(My teammates) were hitting me really hard (in the celebration), but I didn’t feel too much pain because I couldn’t really feel my body at the time. It was an awesome experience.”

It was the third appearance of the season for the true freshman after he got his first start earlier in the week against Little Rock.

John Rhys Plumlee, who was interviewed on the SEC Network+ stream of the Grove Bowl, called it unreal.

“I think it was what we needed as a baseball team right now,” Plumlee said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

ONE PITCH, ONE SWING, AND THE FRESHMAN’S FIRST CAREER BOMB!

KEMP ALDERMAN, WALK IT OFF! pic.twitter.com/73UG2w7Coy

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 24, 2021

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.