MEQUON — It was the news that Will Vierling had been waiting his entire life to hear, but the moment did not quite unfold the way he likely envisioned.
The Homestead alum, a member of the Murray State baseball team, was tuned into Major League Baseball Draft coverage on Monday but there was a break following the 10th round.
It turns out that he thought the pause in the proceedings would be longer than it turned out to be, so he learned that he had been selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in a different fashion than most prospects.
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“It was actually kind of a crazy story. There were about 20 people who knew before I did,” Vierling said. “We thought that Round 11 started at 4.
“So it was like 3:30. I was getting ready to hop in the shower, and right as I was getting ready to put my phone down to get in the shower, I get a bunch of text messages from a bunch of people, like, ‘Hey, like, congrats. Good job.’
“I was like, ‘Wait, what? What’s going on?’ and they’re like, ‘You got drafted,’” he added. “And then I look at the draft tracker, I see my name and I’m like, what the heck?
“That’s how I found out. So it’s kind of crazy, not really what I expected, but I’m still really excited about it.”
He said Monday was a fairly typical day and that he spent the time waiting to hear his name called with his family. After the 10th round, he decided to get a little exercise.
“I went to just take a walk, just to get outside, get a little fresh air and stuff like that,” Vierling explained. “And then I was like, I’m a little sweaty, so I was going to get a shower and I had no idea that the draft had restarted.”
And, just like that, a childhood dream had been fulfilled.
“I was just really happy,” he replied when asked what thoughts raced through his mind when he confirmed that the news was true. “It’s always been my goal to play professional baseball, so I’m really happy and I’m really grateful to get the opportunity.”
Vierling said he has been playing the sport as long as he can remember, dating back to T-ball when he was 3 or 4 years old.
He attended Homestead, but his days on the field were interrupted by the pandemic.
“My freshman year, I was on varsity with coach (Jason) Kosanke, in his first year,” Vierling recalled. “Then obviously my sophomore year we had COVID and got canceled.”
Schools went virtual, spring sports were postponed and athletes entered the longest offseason of their lives.
“I would wake up, I would do my daily online school and then I would hit with my dad. Sometimes we go to a park, to an outside cage and hit, or if we couldn’t, we’d just do hitting drills inside,” Vierling recalled, noting that his baseball activities resembled an extended period of preseason work. “I didn’t get to play much, but it was more just training and just trying to stay as acclimated to baseball as I could.”
Eventually, play resumed. Vierling rejoined the Highlanders for his senior season and enjoyed that experience.
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“I didn’t play my junior year, but then my senior year (we had) a really, really tight group, a really good group. We made a pretty decent postseason run,” he said in regard to the Highlanders winning a regional championship in 2022. “That group in itself was at that point probably one of the most fun times I’ve ever had playing baseball. It was a great group. That whole season was just filled with memories.”
Vierling said that he received some interest from MLB teams coming out of high school, but he intended to attend the University of Louisville.
“I committed pretty early,” he said. “I went there after my senior year of high school, spent two years there then decided to go to the transfer portal so I could find a different opportunity to play.”
In 30 games over two seasons with the Cardinals, Vierling had nine hits in 46 at-bats. He belted three doubles, a home run and drove in four runs. He also drew four walks. As he entered the transfer portal, he thought he was looking for a place to play while using his remaining college eligibility.
“I’m going to be honest, after my first two years at Louisville and I just hit the portal, I honestly didn’t really have any more expectations to get drafted anymore,” he said. “I kind of was thinking that I was going to play two years of college baseball and then that was going to be it and I was going to go to work.”
However, a change of scenery was exactly what he needed and he found his way back on the radar of pro scouts.
“Obviously I had a good enough year, and then halfway through the season I realized that I had a lot more interest and I still had a chance,” Vierling said. “So, that was pretty cool.”
In 60 games with the Racers, Vierling batted .312 with 17 doubles, two triples, 10 homers and he drove in 52 runs. Murray State finished 44-17 overall, went 17-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference and advanced to the College World Series.
“I was super grateful to get an opportunity to play there,” he said. “Obviously we had a great run to the postseason and all of that, and then I obviously had a good enough year to get the opportunity (to be drafted).”
Vierling, a catcher, calls himself a well-rounded player who swings the bat well, adding that he has improved defensively.
“I feel like I do a pretty good job with everything, if I’m going to be honest. I’ve always been a really offensive-heavy player. I’ve always been very offensive-minded,” he replied when asked to describe his game. “But especially this year, I feel like I improved a lot on my defense, and I think that also helped me in my overall game. But honestly, I feel like I do a lot of things really well.
“I feel like I can manage a pitching staff really well,” Vierling added. “I can call games.”
The season ended for Murray State on June 16 and one month seems like a long enough break for Vierling.
“I think on Friday I’m flying out to Philadelphia to do some physicals and then I’ll sign there,” he said in regard to beginning his professional career.
That trip to the City of Brotherly Love will actually not be the first time Vierling has paid a visit.
“I have actually been to Philadelphia,” he said. “I had a workout with them when I was a senior in high school at Citizens Bank, so that was pretty cool.”
Hopefully he gets to make another trip to Philadelphia in the future, for his big league debut.