Caleb Joseph, a former standout player for the Lipscomb baseball team, made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
Lumination spoke with Joseph on his experience with the Orioles and his time at Lipscomb.
Q: What was it like when you found out you were being called up to play for the Orioles?
A: It was quite surprising. We didn’t know that Matt (Wieters) was even having some discomfort, so it was definitely a shock. The first 24 hours were pretty crazy. It went by really fast. We had a great time. It was a lot of fun. Only very few people get to achieve a dream that they had as a young child.
Q: What was the actual game like? Was it different than other games you have played?
A: Well, the atmosphere was obviously different with major league fans and a major league stadium. The game itself was no different because the same players were hitting the same pitches with the same counts and missing the same pitches with the same counts. The speed of the game was a little bit different, but it wasn’t anything that was overwhelming. My teammates were able to help kind of slow it down a few times.
Q: How does it feel to join Rex Brothers and Bo McLaughlin as the only other former Lipscomb players to play in the MLB?
A: Really good. And since I’ll be the first position player because Rex and Bo are both pitchers, that’s quite an honor. When I was young I use to go to [Lipscomb] games. I’m like a third generation there.
When I went there I had such a great experience with Coach Forehand and all the staff there. And then to just be able to kind of be a part of history is a real honor. A lot of the preparation that has helped me succeed in this game came from that experience at Lispcomb. I’ll be forever grateful to all the people at Lipscomb. There are countless people who had an influence all over that campus on my entire life. I can’t wait to be back home and to thank them for what they’ve done because there’s been a lot of people who supported me.
Q: Do you have a favorite baseball memory from your time at Lipscomb?
A: We won the Atlantic Sun Championship. That was pretty amazing. I actually had a few teammates who drove all night and came down and saw me play in Tampa. They packed up the car and drove all night just to see me play. They were on the team that won the championship, and that was one of the first things we talked about.
Also, playing in the NCAA Tournament against Georgia, that was pretty fun. We won that game. (Joseph hit a home-run in the 2-1 victory) I really cherished my time at Lipscomb. We had great teams, a lot of those guys I’m still in touch with to this day. Those are some of my best friends, I guess you’d say.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics