LANCASTER, Pa. — Waiting for your name to be called or your phone to ring during the draft process is daunting. Not knowing if or when you will be selected.
Cedar Crest graduated, Joseph Carpenter knows that feeling, all too well. The draft didn’t go as he would have planned. But, another opportunity brought him back home.
“It’s definitely something that I’ve thought about but with the circumstances, I never thought I’d be here but I’m really happy to be here and excited to get to work," said Carpenter.
It’s not the place Carpenter expected to sign his first professional contract. He came home from the University of Delaware to train, and that’s when the first baseman’s phone finally rung. To a team he grew up watching, the Lancaster Barnstormers.
Just a 40-minute commute down Route 72 to hopefully be the first step in his career.
Carpenter said, “I was hoping to get drafted, but I waited a couple of weeks after the draft for a free agent deal. Ross picked me up here and I’m excited to get to work and do what I can to try and help this team win and know my role here."
The major league might not be in his cards just yet as he’s living every kids dream of growing up and playing professional ball.
“I enjoy playing the game. You know, at the end of the day, it’s baseball so you can’t try and make things harder than they are. Just getting a good routine here and just getting to know the guys has been awesome," said Carpenter.
It doesn’t take long for Jos to make his first impression. After just two days signing with the Barnstormers, Thursday night in his first at bat, he got his first pro hit. A two run single to put the 'stormers ahead and eventually win the game.