After hitting just .125 in 16 at-bats this past season, Newton County Academy alumnus Kemp Alderman went to Maryland last month to participate in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League.

Alderman, who just completed his freshman season at Ole Miss, needed the at-bats, and he joined the league’s Bethesda Big Train team in order to work on his swing and put in more work on the diamond before returning to Ole Miss in the fall.

As of Friday, Alderman led the Cal Ripken league with eight home runs and 47 RBIs, and he also has a .319 batting average. After limited playing time for the Rebels this past spring, Alderman said he was determined to improve for the Ole Miss coaches.

“I knew I had a lot of stuff I needed to work on and get better this summer,” Alderman said. “I’m trying to get back focused on those things and how I was playing the game before I went to college.”

With the success he’s seen so far, Alderman said he’s pleased with his progress and feels like the extra work has paid off.

“I’m trying to get my average up some, but the RBIs and home runs are good,” Alderman said. “I think getting more at-bats and taking things one at a time and not worrying too much has helped.”

His father and high school coach, Kelly Alderman, said his son is enjoying his time in Maryland based on the conversations they’ve had.

“He went up there to get better, and I think he has,” Kelly Alderman said. “He’s working hard, and he’s improved. I went up there and watched a few games, and everything looks better with his swing.”

Improving his average has been a focal point even more so than the power, Kemp Alderman said. 

“I’ve been trying to mainly cut down on my strikeouts and make more contact,” Kemp Alderman said. “I’m trying to stop worrying about the outcome and focus on hitting it hard and on the barrel and seeing what happens.”

Kelly Alderman said his son knew he had to see more live pitching in order to improve, and his dedication to the sport is what’s driving him to sacrifice much of his summer when he could be doing other things.

“He’s gotten a lot of at-bats, and he’s been gone all summer — and that’s probably not what a kid wants to do, but he’s enjoyed it,” Kelly Alderman said.

For Kemp Alderman, though, it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice.

“Baseball has always been what I want to do in the summer,” Kemp Alderman said. “It’s my love, my dream and what I enjoy doing and spending my life doing. There’s nothing else I would rather be doing than being on the baseball field. It’s so enjoyable to me, and so is meeting new people and friends and teammates that comes along with the game.”