Matador Hall of Fame Spotlight: Adam Kennedy

In the annals of CSUN Baseball history, Adam Kennedy is considered to be one of the best to ever wear a Matador uniform.

A three-time All-American and the program's all-time leader in nearly every offensive category including hits (337) and batting (.414) and RBI (234), Kennedy led CSUN to a conference championship in 1996.

His baseball career though was just getting started. Kennedy completed a 14-year trek in the Major Leagues, highlighted by a World Series win and an American League Championship Series MVP award in 2002.

Looking back at the awards, the championships and the celebrations, Kennedy remembers humbling beginnings, the lessons from his father and the uncertainty of not seeing any scholarship offers after high school.

A two-sport athlete at John W. North High School in Riverside, Kennedy played baseball for his father, Tom, who was a longtime teacher and coach.

"As a young kid, who has some talent, you could easily float through some situations but he wasn't really allowing any of that," said Kennedy about his father. "One thing he always expected from me, and I wasn't always good at it early on, was always playing hard and always playing at my best. That's the one thing he always harped on me that really took me to the next level – play every game hard."

While playing alongside his freshman brother, Bryan, he won a baseball CIF championship in 1994. He was also a star basketball player who led his team to the state finals.

Adam_Kennedy_CSUN — Kennedy is the CSUN all-time
leader in hits with 337

Despite the success, Kennedy was overlooked by colleges and graduated without any scholarship offers. That was until then Matador assistant coach Mike Batesole took notice.

"Mike Batesole was at the county all-star game looking at players – not me in particular – and he noticed me and it went from there," said Kennedy. "It happened really quickly. Nowadays, the big thing is committing to schools at a young age. I had already graduated and I wasn't really sure what I was going to do."

Similar to Kennedy's father, Batesole was a big influence in his baseball career. Moving into a head coaching role in 1996, Batesole would lead CSUN to unprecedented success that season.

"I couldn't have been luckier to come to a better situation than to play for him," said Kennedy. "He let me grow as a player, and taught the nuances of hitting and how to be a really tough baseball player.

"Me and Bates talk on a weekly basis to this day and he's had a great career – one of the top college baseball coaches ever," continued Kennedy.

Behind a new voice in Batesole, the Matadors flourished to a 19-1 start, entering the national polls and never leaving – rising as high as No. 3 in the country.

"Going into the season, you have the preseason ranks, we were in the top 250. Not the top 20 or the top 100 – the top 250," said Kennedy. "I don't know if we had a chip on our shoulders but we were aware of how people thought of us. It was up to us to change the narrative."

Led by Kennedy and WAC Player of the Year Robert Fick, the Matadors emerged as one of the top offensive teams in the country. Featuring six batters with a .300 or better average, CSUN set many hitting records that still stand to this day including home runs (129) and RBI (576).

"We were a tough group," said Kennedy. "It was like we didn't want to get outworked or be out-toughed on the field. Combine that with a lot of talent, we were really good. It was a good feeling going to the field every day and not thinking if we're going to win but how we're going to do it and how many homers we're going to hit that day,"

Adam_Kennedy_CSUN_2 — Kennedy led the nation in hits in
1996 and 1997

Kennedy moved from left field to his natural position of shortstop during that season and saw his batting average improve 33 points from his freshman campaign to .393. He also led the nation in hits with 121 – it would be the first of two seasons where he led the nation in hits.

"Things really took off when I went to Alaska in the summer [of 1995] and I ended up being the MVP of the Alaskan League," said Kennedy. "With the commitment level of playing one sport and Batesole leading the way, I was able to take off as a baseball player."

Kennedy and the Matadors slugged their way to a WAC title after outlasting BYU in a three-game series and would stage an impressive run through the NCAA West Regional where they eliminated perennial collegiate powers, Mississippi State and Stanford. CSUN won a program-record 52 games that season.

A year to remember. But for Kennedy, it's the relationships that he most remembers.

"I still have a lot of relationships with some of those guys," said Kennedy. "In college, you spend so much time with a group of guys through good practices and tough practices where the coaches aren't happy. You're living on your own for the first time and you have the camaraderie away from the field. When you combine that with winning, it really solidifies your relationships and how it was all worth it."

Heading into his junior campaign, Kennedy witnessed the departures of many of his teammates to the draft. With many eyes on him, Kennedy would have his best season yet.

Adam_Kennedy_Angels — Kennedy played 14 MLB seasons
including seven with the Angels

Hitting a CSUN-record .482 with 26 homers and 99 RBI, Kennedy racked up 134 hits in 1997. Once again, the work and preparation were key. Prior to the season, he tried out for the U.S. Olympic team, competing with the likes of Lance Berkman, Troy Glaus and J.D. Drew.

"That was one of my best experiences in baseball," said Kennedy. "It was nice to go there and represent CSUN. We weren't a big-name school compared to the rest of the country, I had to go there and show them what we're all about. I really played well throughout the whole trials, probably knowing I'm not going to make the team because of the other talent there and I was a year younger than them."

After a third-straight All-American season, Kennedy would be drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. A stint in the minors would be brief though. By August of 1999, he received the call-up to the big club and was off to play the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

"It was really nerve-racking," said Kennedy. "I walk into the club house, you have Mark McGwire, Eric Davis and Willie McGee and I'm a huge baseball fan so to me these guys are like gods. I went 0-for-4 the first game and then I settled in after that."

Kennedy would indeed settle in. A day later he collected his first career hit against former World Series MVP Orel Hershiser.

After the season, Kennedy was traded to the Anaheim Angels where he would spend the next seven years as a starting second baseman. In 2002, he was instrumental in the Angels' World Series championship including a memorable MVP performance in the ALCS where he homered three times in the deciding fifth game.

"I wasn't feeling great going into that game," said Kennedy. "I remember batting practices in the cage that morning really being frustrating where I stopped hitting. I really had one good swing my first at-bat. Baseball's great where one good swing kind of changes your confidence level and momentum, and it took off the rest of that day."

Kennedy put his name alongside the likes of Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, George Brett and Bob Robertson, becoming the fifth player to ever hit three home runs in a playoff game. His Angels would outlast the San Francisco Giants in the Fall Classic, giving the Riverside native a World Series ring.

"That team was very similar to the CSUN '96 team where we had so many good relationships and we were a tough team," said Kennedy. "In any sport, it's tough to win the last game of the year. It's something every athlete dreams and strives for."

Kennedy would eventually conclude a 14-year MLB career in 2012. He played for six different teams, which included the likes of the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. A career .272 hitter, Kennedy looks back as his MLB career with great fondness.

"I look back at the relationships, competing against Hall of Famers and great teams, and living in different cities such as Washington D.C. and Seattle," said Kennedy. "Playing in Oakland was one of favorites places to play, I loved it there and in L.A., playing in Dodger Stadium was a dream come true. Every stop provided a good memory and a lesson."

Adam Kennedy Jersey Retirement 2018 — Kennedy returned to Matador
Field in 2018 to retire his
No. 40 jersey

In his final seasons in the majors, Kennedy would develop a new passion: real estate. The new venture turned into a big part of his life after his playing days.

"I got involved in the investing side when I was still playing in 2010," said Kennedy. "It just transferred over to my post careers with sales."

Now a realtor, Kennedy is competing in a new field where he works for aspiring home owners in Orange County as opposed to baseball managers. His three children, Quinn (21), JT (18) and Zac (7) also are a huge part of his life these days.

"My three boys occupy a lot of my time," said Kennedy. "We do a lot of baseball; we have some travel baseball teams that we're a part of."

From an unsure kid told he needed to play hard every day to winning the World Series, Kennedy's baseball journey has taken him to many places. However, Northridge still holds a special place in his heart.

"It was really an avenue for me to start my professional career," said Kennedy about CSUN. "College baseball teaches you all these things that you don't need to spend extra time learning some of the baseball stuff that will eventually lead you to the majors. CSUN provided me a quick track to the Big Leagues."

#UniteTheValley

All Los Angeles Angels photos courtesy of Angels Baseball

Matador Hall of Fame Spotlight: Adam Kennedy

Related Videos