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With baseball as America’s pastime, many girls and boys dream of becoming professional baseball players when they grow up. What would be more fun than getting paid to play your favorite childhood game into adulthood? On the three professional teams in our area, there are two Pennsylvania natives that did just that and play locally: Kaleb Fleck of the Harrisburg Senators, the AA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, and Nate Reed of the Lancaster Barnstormers, Freedom Division members of the Atlantic Independent League. From tee ball to the big leagues, Fleck and Reed took some time out of their 100-plus game schedule to share their stories with us.
Nate Reed is no stranger to the Lancaster Barnstormers; he returned this season for his fourth appearance with the team. The left-hander grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, and currently lives there, making the short jaunt to Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster for baseball.
“It’s always nice playing close to home,” says Reed, who grew up about 45 minutes from Lancaster.
Reed’s passion for the game took him from tee ball to high school, then college, and on to professional baseball. He never gets tired of the game or going out onto the field to do what he loves. The dream of playing baseball professionally was not solidified in his mind until 30 scouts came to his high school to see him pitch. Then it became real.
The advice Reed would have given his younger self and would share with young kids today is to listen more. Surrounded by knowledge, he says he could have escalated his game quicker during his high school years.
If you’re at a Harrisburg Senators game this summer, keep an eye out for right-handed pitcher and Pennsylvania native Kaleb Fleck. Fleck attributes his dad for getting him involved in the sport, starting out with tee ball. Not only did Fleck play baseball, he was a three-sport athlete through his senior year of high school.
It never crossed Fleck’s mind that he would be playing professional baseball. He never knew what it took to get to the professional baseball level and always took playing one step at a time. During his senior year he realized that baseball could be his ticket to help pay for college. He played at University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, and his career took off from there.
“My parents are ecstatic that I am playing near home right now [as a Harrisburg Senator],” Fleck says. He resides in Mechanicsburg with his wife, and the family is enjoying the unexpected coincidence, attending more games with the close-to-home advantage.
Fleck had a laid-back approach and journey to his professional baseball career. Looking back, he would do it all over again the same way. A big advocate for the multiple-sport athlete, Fleck enjoyed all of his sports growing up.
Dreams do come true, and sometimes they are right in your backyard. This summer if you find yourself at a baseball game enjoying the ping of a ball, peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and fireworks on a warm summer night, check out the player roster. If you are lucky, you might have the chance to cheer on one of our hometown players.
