Lindenwood alum Geoff Hartlieb was called-up to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, and was in uniform that night.  Hartlieb is the first Lindenwood baseball player to reach the major league level.
 
"Finally getting the call means a lot to my family and I," said Hartlieb.  "It's been quite the journey to get here and it has finally made all the time given up for this dream worth it.  I put in the work to get here and I plan to continue to do so to earn my place and stay here."
 
The Pirates took on the San Diego Padres this past weekend, and Hartlieb saw his first action in Saturday night's game.  The Highland, Ill. native stuck out Ian Kinsler who was the first batter he faced in the ninth inning.  Hartlieb got the next two outs (Franmil Reyes and Manny Machado) to tally a perfect inning in his major league debut.  The 2012 graduate of Highland High School appeared in Sunday's game as well, getting two outs on three batters faced.
 
"It feels pretty surreal to be honest, literally one minute I'm sitting in Triple-A worried about a lot of things, then I get a phone call and my whole life changes."
 
In the 29th round of the 2016 MLB draft, Hartlieb was the 885th overall pick by the Pittsburg Pirates and began his minor league career with the Bristol Pirates.  After finishing the 2016 season in rookie ball, Hartlieb played the 2017 season with the West Virginia Power in Single-A Full Season, before ending the year with the Bradenton Marauders in Single-A Advanced. 
 
Hartlieb began the 2018 season with the Altoona Curve in Double-A, posting a 3.24 ERA with 10 saves and eight wins.  The 6-6 right hander earned a non-roster invite to spring training this past January, and was assigned to Triple-A to play with the Indianapolis Indians to begin the 2019 season.  Prior to his call up to the big league, Hartlieb had 23 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitched with the Indians in Triple-A.
 
"It's been awesome and I'm lucky to have the chance to put on the uniform.  Having all-star teammates, gold glovers, and seasoned veterans who are unbelievably good at baseball is the coolest part.  Getting the opportunity to learn from them on a daily basis is awesome."