Willard Carpenter Hazelton (August 28, 1876 – March 10, 1941) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1902 season.

[1][2] Hazelton was educated in the public schools of Strafford and Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire, from which he graduated in 1894.

[1] The school had a strong baseball program, and its alumni included Gabby Hartnett and Heinie Stafford.

[1] Hazelton had been playing baseball from his childhood days in Strafford, and was a pitcher on Dean Academy's varsity team.

[1] In August 1899, Hazelton was struck in the head by a pitched ball while at bat during a game at the Fabyan House hotel in New Hampshire.

[1] After surgery to remove blood clots and pieces of bone from his brain, Hazelton regained consciousness.

[1] After a month of hospitalization, he returned home to continue his recovery; doctors attributed Hazelton's survival to the excellent physical condition he maintained as a result of his participation in baseball.

[1] The Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0, and Hazelton achieved his first hit, a single off Deacon Phillippe.

[1] He continued to play semi-pro baseball during the summer months, and spent time with several teams in New England and New York.

[1] At the start of the 1904 season, Hazelton signed a contract to play for the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association.