Kemp, Dunkleberger turning Cardinal

Published 12:12 am Friday, November 11, 2016

NEDERLAND — Nederland senior Chase Kemp has a bitter rival in Port Neches-Groves’ Logan LeJeune for about four months a year. It is when Kemp and his Bulldogs are battling against LeJeune and the Indians for supremacy in District 22-5A.

Kemp will put that rivalry aside after graduation in 2017 when he joins LeJeune as a member of the Lamar baseball team. The two will not only be teammates, they will room together on campus.

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Fellow Nederland senior Brendan Dunkleberger joined Kemp in signing with Lamar on Thursday.

“It’s crazy,” Dunkleberger said of signing with the Cardinals. “It has been a lot of hard work to get here. I am really speechless right now.”

Dunkleberger tossed 29 innings for the Bulldogs last year and carried a 3.86 ERA with 37 strikeouts.

The Nederland duo made it 10 locals from Jefferson and Orange counties Lamar coach Will Davis has either signed or earned verbal commitments from since his hire. Six are already on the 2017 baseball team.

Kemp threw 39 innings for Nederland last year and had a 3.05 ERA with 40 strikeouts. He batted .389 with 16 RBI, 18 runs and 11 doubles.

“I’m excited,” Kemp said. “I am ready for this journey and blessed to have this opportunity. I have grown up playing with him (Dunkleberger) so it will be nice having someone at Lamar I am familiar with. I think it will really work out.”

Kemp said he has been impressed with the job Davis has done in recruiting local talent.

“We have great local talent in this area,” Kemp said. “That can only make the Lamar team better.”

Even though the two will be roommates starting next fall, Kemp said he is still ready to face LeJeune a couple more times as rivals.

“I will be going for a strike out,” he said.

Dunkleberger said he is ready to teammate with one recruit who is committed to Lamar baseball in particular.

“Jack Dallas (of West Orange-Stark), I would say,” Dunkleberger said. “That is a pretty big name in our area.”

Gabriel Pruett: 721-2436. Twitter: @PaNewsGabe

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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