Dreams really do come true.
On Tuesday night, Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Paul Cusick was chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round (901st overall) of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
“My dad was following the draft online and ... just as my name popped up for the Phillies, my phone started ringing,” Cusick said. “It was the Phillies calling me letting me know that they had just taken me in the draft.”
While any athlete would be thrilled about being drafted by a professional team, the right-handed pitcher has the added excitement of being selected by the team he grew up watching.
“I grew up in the Philadelphia area my whole life and grew up a Phillies fan for as long as I can remember,” Cusick said. “I went in there with really low expectations and thought that I’d be excited if anyone took me, but having my favorite team pick me on the second day of the draft, it’s a pretty surreal feeling.”
Cusick wasn’t the only one with a pleasant surprise this week.
Rising senior Vince Voiro, another member of Penn’s starting rotation, was selected yesterday in the 47th round (1,433 overall) by the San Diego Padres.
“It has always been a dream of mine to be drafted,” Voiro told Penn Athletics. “I hadn’t really thought too much about it coming true until after last summer, and it has been a crazy ride since then. There is still a lot of work to be done, so hopefully this is just the start of the journey.”
With both Cusick and Voiro getting drafted, it is the first time since 2003 that the Quakers had more than one player selected in the same draft.
Although both pitchers have now been tabbed by a Major League team, the next step in this exciting process may lead to very different endings.
Voiro has the option of turning down the Padres’ offer and returning to school to finish at Penn and hope to get drafted again next summer. While this is not an uncommon decision, it may be a risky one for the Cherry Hill, N.J. native.
On the other hand, Cusick’s decision will be more straightforward. The 6-foot-3 pitcher is likely to sign with the Phillies and then make the trip to Florida where all the team’s rookies are expected to report.
Nonetheless, despite the unclear futures, both players are enjoying the present.
“I mean, it was surreal, I was speechless,” Cusick said grasping for words. “I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“This has been a good two-day span for the Penn baseball program,” Voiro said.
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