This story was originally published in the Viewpoint in December 2025.
When Otto Kemp (22) was called up to make his Major League Baseball debut on June 7, 2025, the former PLNU Baseball star was met with a familiar face.
Kemp debuted for the Philadelphia Phillies in Pittsburgh against the Pirates, whom his former teammate Baxter Halligan (B.S. 22, M.S. 24) works for as an applied biomechanist.
The two remain so close that Kemp's wife, Lily (21), dropped off their dog, Beau, at Halligan's house on the drive up to Pennsylvania from North Carolina, where Kemp was playing with the Phillies' Triple-A team.
"We actually dropped our dog off at their house, and then they all came to the game together," Kemp said. "It was pretty special to be able to have my debut where one of my teammates and best friends is. He was in my wedding and we're pretty close, so it was really cool."
Kemp's reunion with Halligan was the first of many with former Sea Lions teammates and coaches throughout his first MLB season, which included PLNU Baseball Head Coach Justin James traveling with his daughter, Kinley, to watch him play in his first couple series with the Phillies.
"It's awesome, definitely something that I can't even describe," Kemp said of the support he received this year. "It's very cool to be able to play with all these guys first off and have all the memories together that we did, but it's crazy how prevalent all those guys are still in me and my wife's lives. It's awesome to see that spider web grow, even when we're on the road.
"You're in these random cities and someone texts you, 'Hey I'm going to be at this game.' You get a chance to see them after a couple of years, and it's just crazy how life always comes back full circle. It was really special to have those moments carry throughout the entire year."
One of those moments was returning to San Diego to face off against the Padres in mid-July, with Kemp visiting Point Loma's campus and his old stomping grounds at Carroll B. Land Stadium.
"It always had been a dream of mine, but I feel like the dream became more of a reality at Point Loma, so it was pretty surreal to be back there," Kemp said of returning to The Point, this time as a major leaguer. "I had my wife with me, too, and that was where we met, so it was really cool to go down memory lane and enjoy that unbelievable campus."
Kemp's continued connection to his alma mater was exemplified in giving his own jersey, signed by the entire Phillies team, to Eli Hamilton, the son of the late PLNU Athletic Director Ethan Hamilton.
"Ethan was awesome and did such a great job working with us, so it was the least I could do to put a smile on Eli's face considering what he's been through," Kemp said. "Ethan was nothing but good to me over my four years there and was always so supportive. He would always tell me, 'Eli's your biggest fan man.'"
As big a fan as Eli Hamilton is of Kemp, the former Sea Lions star made several other fans in Philadelphia this year with his stellar play on the field, batting .234 with 11 doubles, 8 home runs, 28 RBIs and a .709 OPS in 62 games.
The undrafted free agent signee produced several memorable highlights in his first big league season, including hitting two homers in a single game at Yankee Stadium on July 27 and homering against the Miami Marlins on Sep. 24 as the Phillies set a single-game franchise record with eight home runs.
He went a career-best 4-for-5 on June 15 against the Toronto Blue Jays before going on a five-game hitting streak from Sep. 9-13, which began on his birthday when he went 2-for-3 with a long ball against the New York Mets.
Among all those highlights, perhaps what stood out the most was Kemp's versatility and unselfishness, playing four different positions throughout the year.
After making his MLB debut at third base, the utility man also played for the Phillies at second base, first base and left field, the latter two of which he never played at Point Loma and only had minimal experience in the minor leagues.
"Just keep it simple and protect the baseball," Kemp said about his mentality playing multiple positions. "I feel like that was channeling an energy that Coach James instilled in us – 'Secure the baseball and we'll be good to go.' Good things will take care of [themselves] when that happens."
His unselfishness was on full display amidst his breakout three-hit game on June 9 in his home debut for the Phillies against the Chicago Cubs, when Kemp laid down a bunt in the 11th inning of an eventual walk-off win, something he practiced a lot as a Sea Lion.
"I actually had to lay down a bunt that game, and Coach James was in the stands, too," Kemp said. "It was the first time I had bunted in I think five years, so that was one of those full circle moments. We practiced that all the time (at PLNU), so I'm very grateful for that."
Being able to put down a bunt when his team needed it wasn't the only part of this year that paralleled his time at Point Loma.
Kemp, who tore his ACL twice in high school, overcame several injuries as a Sea Lion, including a blood clot, dislocated shoulder, torn labrum, and broken hand. The latter he sustained during regionals of his senior year in 2022, but he played through the remainder of the postseason as Point Loma finished as National Runner-up.
He then had to battle through another injury this year with the Phillies, when just 10 games into his MLB career, he fractured his left kneecap after fouling off a pitch.
Despite ultimately requiring offseason surgery, Kemp didn't let that injury stop him, as he proved to be an invaluable contributor on a Phillies team that won a second-straight National League East Division title.
Kemp then became the first former PLNU player to feature in the MLB postseason, playing in the NL Division Series against the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
"It was cool to see the whole journey come to fruition this year," Kemp said. "It feels like I reached that goal, but also what's to stop [me]. Set your goal and keep going. It was a really cool year to have everything kind of circle back and really have that moment to say, 'This has been a journey, a really big journey.'"
A journey that's just getting started.
