Rookie hires are not typically surrounded by swarms of kids asking for autographs. Faith Weaver, however, is no ordinary rookie. She’s a Phillies ballgirl.

Weaver admits that being on the field during MLB games at Citizens Bank Park is “a surreal experience.” Ballgirls scoop up foul balls that are hit along the first-base and third-base lines and distribute them to fans who are eager to take home a keepsake from the game.

Her favorite part of the job, though, is seeing the faces of young girls who play softball and consider her a role model. She has signed her “ballgirl card” and real baseball gloves at CBP.

The Phillies hire just 10 young women each year to be ballgirls and employ them for two years. Weaver, a rookie, patrols a foul line at the ballpark about once a month. Second-year ballgirls work more frequently.

“It’s hard deciding who gets the balls,” she admits, “especially with the pitch clock. You try to pick out somebody in advance, like little kids or people going to their first game. I wish I had a ball to give to every single kid.”

Three rules are drilled into every ballgirl: Get out of the way – with your stool - of any ball in play; get the ball once you’re sure it's foul; and get back to your seat.

A sport management major from Drexel Hill, Weaver has worked for the Phillies since 2023, selling 50-50 tickets in the stands for two years “to get my foot in the door” before she applied for a ballgirl position.

The application process required a resume and video (Weaver is a third baseman and catcher on the Knights softball team), a Zoom interview, an in-person workout that included hitting and fielding ground balls at CBP, a final interview under the lights in the Phillies media room, and a quiz about the team.

Her most memorable experience so far was at the Salute to Service game on May 17. When military jets buzzed the stadium at the start of the game, “I was standing at home plate, right under the flyover.”

A little-known aspect of the job is that the duties of ballgirls extend beyond the confines of the stadium and the season. The position is a paid, part-time, year-round gig with the Phillies.

Off the field, ballgirls are community ambassadors for the team, providing support for charity events and clinics for young players. They compete in charity softball games, visit nursing homes and children’s hospitals, and support player-sponsored events. Weaver helped with an event hosted by pitcher Aaron Nola to support veterans.

The ballgirls make more than 150 off-field appearances each year, and Weaver enjoys the relationships she has made. “It’s truly such an amazing group, and I have met so many girls who I would call lifelong friends.”

A longtime softball player and baseball fan, Weaver is looking forward to another Red October with the Phillies in the playoffs.