South Jersey’s Ian Petrutz grew up watching the Phillies. Now he’s an outfielder in the MLB draft.

It was a ritual of sorts for the men and boys in Ian Petrutz’s family. Every year, they’d take the short ride from Mantua Township to Citizens Bank Park for the first Phillies home game of the season. Petrutz has an opening night T-shirt collection to prove it. The Petrutzes would go to a lot of games, “about once every other week,” Petrutz said.

“Those were my favorite nights,” said Petrutz, now a 21-year-old baseball player at the University of Alabama. “We’d go get a Tony Luke’s cheesesteak before the game and then during the game, we’d get a Campo’s cheesesteak and stand in standing-room only and I’d be up on my dad’s shoulders watching the game from out there. Those nights, you remember them.”

He was just 6 years old when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, but he remembers being outside the gates at Citizens Bank Park and celebrating after Brad Lidge struck out Erik Hinske. And Petrutz remembers his father, Michael, making him hold it when he had to pee during the parade. They had carved out a perfect spot for the once-in-a-lifetime moment — Ian’s bladder would just have to wait.

Sixteen years later, things are a bit different — but still the same.

“I’m that guy that goes to Phillies games by myself in the summer, sits in the outfield with headphones in, and keeps a book,” Petrutz said. “I’ve been doing that since I could drive.”

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These recent Phillies teams have captured Petrutz’s attention. He especially has enjoyed watching the way Kyle Schwarber interacts with fans. His first two college seasons, when he was at the University of Maryland, Petrutz, a Bishop Eustace grad, was a designated hitter. At Alabama this past season, Petrutz started all 58 games in left field and tried to emulate Schwarber’s actions. He engaged with fans while he was in the field, showed them how many outs there were, and cracked jokes.

Time will tell whether Petrutz will do it again in 2025. He is hoping to be selected in this weekend’s Major League Baseball draft. Before the draft decreased from 40 rounds to 20, it wouldn’t really have been a question. Petrutz was among 319 players invited to the draft combine earlier this year in Arizona. If he’s selected, he’s likely to be picked in the latter half of the draft. Petrutz would then have the option of signing a professional contract or returning to Alabama for another season.

Petrutz, who started his high school career at Clearview before transferring to Eustace, was a first-team all-state selection as a senior and was the No. 2 outfield prospect in New Jersey, according to Perfect Game. At Maryland, Petrutz started 28 games as a freshman and hit nine homers, including three during the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore DH, Petrutz batted .270 with seven doubles and 14 home runs.

Heading to Alabama represented a change in a lot of ways. It was much farther from home to start, and Petrutz also went back to the outfield. The crowd sizes changed, too.

“It’s not like you’re in Maryland and you have the Orioles and Nationals to go to games and root for those pro teams,” Petrutz said. “When you’re down in Tuscaloosa, and the whole state of Alabama … you have Auburn and you have Alabama. Sure, there are Braves fans, but that’s still three hours away.”

His home run total dipped to six, but Petrutz otherwise hit .320 with 14 doubles, 41 RBIs, and 42 runs across 58 contests. His .351 average in SEC games led the team and was seventh in the conference and his .464 on-base percentage was fifth in the SEC.

At Alabama, Petrutz also found his faith. He said he wasn’t very religious growing up but agreed to go to church when a few teammates invited him. In February, Petrutz was baptized in front of his teammates and coaches. Faith, he said, helped him get through his first SEC baseball season. It helped him contextualize hitting slumps and get through them. It changed the way he views himself (”a follower of Jesus Christ who plays baseball,” he said), and it’s helping him keep everything in perspective as the draft draws near.

It was easy to be nervous about the draft when the season ended, Petrutz said. He compared his numbers from this year to last, knowing the “devil in comparison.” He prayed, he said, to help ease his mind.

“I’ve done all I can up until this point and I’ve left it in other people’s hands,” Petrutz said. “If it doesn’t go my way in the draft, going back to school is a great option. I get to go play in the SEC for another year with my boys.

“I have peace in knowing that regardless of what happens, I’m in a great spot. Obviously, it would be a dream come true to hear my name called. It’s something I’ve been working toward since I even remember my dreams.”

Like many others during the heyday of those 2000s Phillies, those dreams started with cheesesteaks and family in Ashburn Alley.

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