From Walks to Wisdom: Hembo’s Journey From Cedarville to ESPN

In the world of sports, stats tell stories — and for Paul “Hembo” Hembekides, they’ve written a full chapter of his life.

Hembo graduated from Cedarville University in 2012 after four seasons of college baseball, where he started 170 games and set the program’s all-time record with 128 walks. That patience and discipline at the plate hinted at the steady, focused approach he would later bring to a much bigger stage.

After finishing grad school in Philadelphia, Hembo met an ESPN recruiter at a seminar and saw his opening. He followed up, stayed persistent, and eventually earned his shot. Over a decade later, he’s one of the network’s most trusted researchers and storytellers.

On the Cedarville Stories podcast, Hembo looked back on the road that brought him from the batting plate at Cedarville to the studios at ESPN. He shared how the habits, values, and community at Cedarville shaped his thinking and built a strong foundation for life in a fast-paced, high-profile industry. While some of those lessons only became clear with time, they stuck — and they mattered.

Today, Hembo wears many hats: researcher, co-author, on-air contributor, husband, and father of three daughters. He sees his work at ESPN as more than a career. It’s his calling and his platform. Whether he’s teaming up with longtime colleague Mike Greenberg or providing insights to NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky — who shares his Christian faith — Hembo stays rooted in the values that shaped him.

He recalled watching Orlovsky pray on live TV after Damar Hamlin’s collapse, calling it a moment that revealed the quiet power of faith in the sports world. These days, Hembo sees more athletes, coaches, and broadcasters living their beliefs out loud — and he counts it a privilege to be one of them.

Through it all, Hembo keeps showing up with excellence, humility, and purpose. His story reminds us that in the middle of all the stats, scores, and highlight reels, there’s still room for faith, family, and calling — and those might just be the most important wins of all.

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