HAMPSHIRE – As Jake Goebbert pulled the banner off of his No. 4 San Diego Padres jersey Saturday night at Hampshire, the 27-year-old was overcome with emotion. He had known this moment was going to happen for some time, but nothing was like it actually happening.

Hampshire unveiled Goebbert's jersey as part of its "Pack the Place" day, as the Hampshire graduate's Major League jersey will hang in his honor.

"Today was one of the most special experiences of my life," Goebbert said. "The Hampshire community has always been a main focus of mine, because they have given me so much as far as the small town roots. That is something very rare to find nowadays and I can't thank everyone enough."

Goebbert and his wife, Heather, stood at center court in between the girls and boys varsity contests against St. Edward. The two of them had nothing but smiles from ear-to-ear from the moment the jersey was unveiled. As Goebbert took to the microphone to address the crowd, he knew emotions would take over at some point.

Fortunately, for Jake, he had ' his rock' Heather by his side, as he addressed the full house.

"A lot of people don't know this," Goebbert said. "But this has always been a dream of mine. I've gone through a lot to get where I am today and nights like tonight make everything worth it."

Whether it be the crowd that came out to see Goebbert's ceremony or the student section's chants of 'M-V-P', the 2006 Hampshire graduate was almost at a loss for words, as the ceremony itself took Jake a bit by surprise.

As Goebbert finished his speech, he wanted to leave the crowd with one final message. After spending his time in the minor leagues and being passed around a few Major League organizations, Goebbert will never, ever forget where his home is.

"I've spent my time in the minor leagues," Goebbert said. "I've been a Houston Astro, I've been an Oakland Athletic, and now I've been a San Diego Padre, but I will always be a Whip-Pur."

As far as his baseball career in concerned, Goebbert will head to spring training on Feb. 10, when he will begin workouts and try and make the major league roster. If not, the next move would be to Triple-A in El Paso, where, as Goebbert described, the work is never done.

"There's a saying in baseball," Goebbert explained. "When you think you're in, you're out, and when you think you're out, you're in. So, we have a lot to look forward to and you never know what can happen."