It’s been his dream as long as he can remember.

Now, Grand Junction’s Kiel Roling is living it.

The Central High School graduate, who signed his first professional contract last week, is getting an opportunity to play baseball for a living. He is playing for Casper Ghosts, the Colorado Rockies’ Rookie League team.

“It’s always been my dream,” Roling said. “My parents put a baseball and a baseball glove in my crib with me when I was a baby. I’ve always wanted to do it. I told my parents when I was 5 years old I’m going to play in the major leagues. I know my parents are really excited for me.

“I worked so hard to accomplish this. Talking with my dad, he knows what I need to do. He’s a good resource to have.”

Kiel’s dad, Guy Roling, played professional baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

“He’s always pushing me as far as I can go,” Kiel said. “I always wanted to do stuff. I’d get mad at him for pushing me, but I’m thanking him now.”

Kiel joined the team on its 10-hour road trip to Missoula, Mont., for a series against the Osprey.

He hasn’t had an at-bat or an inning in the field yet (through Saturday), but he’s already learning some things.

“It’s a lot different from college,” Roling said. “Everything is amazing. It’s a different type of feeling now. I’m going to the field to do my job. The mind set is a little different. It’s a little new. I’m not used to seeing many Puerto Rican guys. That was the biggest shock to me.”

The Rockies’ organization is easing him back into playing because he hasn’t played in three weeks, since he was an Arizona State University Sun Devil. They want to give Roling a chance to completely heal a “tweaked” hamstring as well.

“They’re impressed at this point,” Roling said. “There’s no hurry right now. They want me to get my work in every day. The coaches are great here. It’s been fun the past couple of days.”

Roling was mostly the Sun Devils designated hitter and played a little first base, but he’s been told he’ll get a chance to catch and play first base for the Ghosts.

“I knew he could catch,” said Rockies scout Mike Ericson, who’s watched Roling since he was in high school. “He’s a big, strong kid (6-foot-3, 240 pounds). He has raw power with arm strength.

“I’ve told him he’ll catch. It’s such a thin position. There are very few quality catchers in the major leagues. That’s why you see veterans hanging around so long.”

Roling is glad to hear he’ll get an opportunity to catch, but said he’ll play whatever postition will get him some playing time.

“I’ve always caught,” he said. “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a good feeling knowing I’m not going to catch every day. It’s not easy. It’s a good feeling knowing they drafted me as a catcher.

“Having (Ericson) seen me there before, really helped.”

Roling, though, was able to get noticed by Ericson without investing his teenage years strictly in baseball. Roling, who also played football, simply made the most of his opportunities.

“It was kind of like getting seen at the right time,” Roling said. “I didn’t go to all the camps. I played multiple sports at the time. I was seen by the right people and got scholarships. When I was at Central Arizona (College), I had a good game at Arizona State’s field one day and got a scholarship. If you’re on summer teams, people will see you. There are many ways of getting exposure. It was a blessing I got a scholarhsip, otherwise I wouldn’t go to Arizona State.”

After two years at Arizona State, Roling was drafted by the Rockies in the sixth round in early June.

A week ago, he drove up to Casper to sign his pro contract. Now, he’ll see how it goes.

“I’ll let it play out the next couple of years.”