Adam Goldman sat anxiously as name after name was called in the April 26 draft for the new Israel Baseball League.

Seventy-two out of the 120 slots were selected that evening, including players from the United States, Dominican Republic, Canada, Australia, and Japan. But Goldman was not among them.

"Going into it, I wasn't sure if I was going to be one of the 72," Goldman said the next day in a phone interview with NJ Jewish News. He acknowledged the presence of players with more recent experience, some who had already played at the professional level.

"I wasn't too disappointed," said Goldman, whose family lives in West Caldwell and belongs to Congregation Agudath Israel of West Essex in Caldwell. "I really didn't expect to be selected. But I kind of thrive on being the underdog; I was looking forward to proving everyone wrong who passed me up."

Goldman got the chance to do just that. He received the official notification of his placement as shortstop on the Petach Tikvah Pioneers via e-mail on April 30. The news, if somewhat impersonal, came as a relief, he said in a second phone interview with NJJN.

"It's pretty cool, seeing all the names on the rosters, everything spelled out." He said he was looking forward to reuniting with players he befriended during the IBL tryouts held last August in Hinsdale, Mass.

The IBL draft was held at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan. Goldman arrived several hours before the event to take a tour of the facilities. The graduating senior from the University of Maryland has already been accepted to the University of Miami Law School and is wait-listed for Cardozo.

Unlike some of his new colleagues, Goldman isn't thinking about his IBL experience as a showcase for a possible career as a ballplayer. "A lot of the guys really aren't necessarily looking at this as a stepping stone. They're looking at it as an incredible opportunity by itself, just going out, having a great time."

Almost as pleased over Goldman's summer plans are his parents, Mark and Robin, and his older brother, Matthew.

"My parents and my whole family were really excited about everything," said Goldman. "They've already booked their flights to visit during the season." Opening day is June 24, and the season runs through Aug. 19.

Mark Goldman told NJJN that Adam's role in Israeli sports history was "absolutely astounding," a great opportunity for his son "not just to play baseball, but to be in Israel for the entire summer, to work with these kids and meet the people."

Goldman coached both Adam and Matthew during their Little League years.

"Adam was the arm that carried us through two town championships. He was an intense ballplayer," he said, describing his son as someone who would do anything asked of him to help the team.

Those beyond-the-call, unanticipated benefits might include serving as an unofficial translator for his teammates. His father said that "Adam spent one semester in Spain honing up on his Spanish." With that linguistic ability and the Hebrew skills he acquired as a student at Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, "he can be the link between the Dominican players and the Israelis."