Most kids dream of playing baseball on a major league field when they grow up. For 12-year old Josh Nielsen, his dream came true last month.
Josh was one of 24 finalists in the Major League Baseball-sponsored Pitch, Hit and Run competition. Kids from all across North America take part in an annual summer contest, with the finalists earning a trip to whichever city is hosting that year’s All-Star Game. Along the way, he also got to play at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.
The Pitch, Hit and Run competition takes place in a series of stages. It starts at the local level; for Josh, that meant Tulpehocken, just a few short miles north of his Womelsdorf home. The competition then progresses to the sectional level, which took place at Berkshire Baseball Club’s Big Vision complex in Leesport.
Each round consists of the same three tasks: pitching- six attempts at a Major League baseball-sized strike zone; running- a timed sprint around the basepaths, and hitting, Josh’s favorite. Hitting was by far the most in-depth task. Hitting off of a tee, kids were told to hit the ball as far and straight as they could. The distance was measured straight up the middle of the diamond, into center field. Penalties were awarded for hitting too far off-center.
At the local level, Josh threw five out of six pitches for strikes, had the fastest timed run and had a solid hit right up the middle. This advanced him to sectionals, where he continued to dominate against hundreds of the area’s best players. Josh and his dad, Gregg Nielsen, both hoped it would be enough to qualify for the regional competition at Citizens Bank Park.
“You couldn’t advance automatically to Citizens Bank Park,” said Nielsen. “Your score got compared to kids at all of the other sectionals. All of the sections in the Philly metro area, they got funneled together.”
Josh qualified for regionals, and his family also got tickets to the Phillies game the night of the competition. He performed well, and had the best scores of anyone in Philadelphia that night. The next week, MLB Network was to air a 2+ minute clip, announcing all of the finalists who would get to travel to Cincinnati during the week of the All-Star game.
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“We didn’t even have MLB Network, so we drove down to Lansdale to his uncle’s to watch,” said Nielsen.
After an interminable wait, the announcement came on the screen. Moments later, bedlam.
“It was so awesome, I couldn’t really say anything,” said Josh. “I was only thinking I was gonna get to regionals.”
Added his father, “We didn’t even hear his name called when it flashed on the screen, there was so much hooting and hollering.”
Major League baseball flew his Josh and his family out to Cincinnati for the national competition. They learned quickly that they would be taken care of.
“They treated these kids like VIPs,” said Nielsen. “Anything they wanted to do, they got to take part. It blew us away.”
After a welcoming reception on Sunday, the Pitch, Hit and Run finals were to take place Monday afternoon at Great American Ball Park, just hours before the Home Run Derby. Unfortunately, weather got in the way.
MLB had to adjust the Home Run Derby rules at the last minute, and it was no different for the Pitch, Hit and Run finals. They were able to get the run portion in, but due to heavy rain, strong winds and anticipation of severe weather warnings, they had to halt the festivities.
“We ended up in a tornado shelter underneath the stadium,” said Nielsen. “We were informed that they’ll try Tuesday over at FanFest in the convention center. They weren’t sure how they’d handle hitting.”
The next day, the kids were brought to FanFest for the pitching competition, where they threw surrounded by fans and spectators who were there simply for FanFest. MLB was unable to find a way to complete the hitting aspect of the competition, something that had never happened before.
“I was looking forward to hitting the most, so I was a little disappointed,” said Josh. “They ended up taking my regional hitting scores and using those instead.”
In addition to MLB gear and a third-place trophy—which Nielsen quipped was so heavy “if you dropped it on your foot, you’d break a bone”—Josh still got an amazing experience. He got All-Star Sonny Gray’s autograph, and was even able to shag some fly balls during the Home Run Derby. Josh caught two of Derby winner Todd Frazier’s hits, and got to attend the All-Star Game the next night.
But among all the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, what the 12-year old enjoyed most was simple: “my favorite part was getting to watch Mike Trout play.”
Josh has been playing baseball for six years, but has an affinity for basketball that rivals his baseball love. He says he wants to keep playing both and let it see where it takes him.
“We could come home from a baseball game, and he’d just grab his basketball, and start shooting some hoops for a while,” said Nielsen.
The well-rounded kid also loves history and math, two subjects that mesh perfectly with a love for baseball. He plays in a fantasy baseball league with his family, and helps keep track of the points that they get.
“He’s a walking statistician,” Nielsen mentioned. “He can come out from pitching a game, he’ll know how many strikeouts he had. He’ll know his ERA. He even says he’s a two-strike hitter.”
Over 625,000 kids took part in the Pitch, Hit and Run program, and Josh was one of 24 finalists. A smart, talented kid like him could easily let the national success get to him, but he hasn’t.
“He’s a neat kid,” Nielsen concluded. “This could easily inflate someone’s ego. He’s gone into this with his head right. He’s there to compete and he’s gonna work his tail off to compete.”
