From DeMolay to the Big Leagues

At a young age, we all have hopes and dreams to become something above and beyond, such as a doctor, a lawyer, a professional athlete, or a famous movie star. For some, those dreams change over time, realizing other ambitions that come to us later in life. For others, they set every goal to make sure that this dream becomes a reality. For one Senior DeMolay from New Jersey, his dream to become a Professional Baseball Player is becoming more of a reality every day. 

In the 2017 MLB draft, the San Diego Padres selected Tyler Benson, a recent Senior DeMolay of Phoenix Chapter in New Jersey, who was playing for Outfield for Bloomsburg University. After just a few short months, Benson has already been promoted twice, currently playing for the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps. 

After all this excitement in his life, he still remembers his time in DeMolay and took a conversation with Past State Master Councilor of New Jersey, Matt Hoffman. Tyler stated that his favorite memory of DeMolay was "Playing in the 2012 NJ State Flag Football Tournament under the lights with his home chapter - Phoenix Chapter." He went on to say "To see everyone from all around the State coming together, it was really a cool experience to just have fun with everyone. And of course, I’m naturally a competitive person so I loved the competition, even though we barely lost in the championship." When asked what is one take away from DeMolay, he states "Brotherhood. No matter how long we are away from each other, we are always there for one another and our conversations pick up where they last left off."  

Although Tyler is not finished with his journey, his dream is being fulfilled by playing baseball everyday as a professional. This story proves that dreams can become a reality if you put the work in to make it happen. Thank you to "Dad" Peter Brusoe and Brother Matt Hoffman for sharing this story. Keep up the great work Tyler Benson, and I hope to see you in the big leagues sometime soon. To see an article on his promotion to Single-A ball, click the following link.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/…/tyler-benson-montvi…/467483001/

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin