Kyle Petty

Phillipsburg grad Kyle Petty hits a home run during the Midway Classic Home Run Derby, part of the California/Carolina League All-Star Game on the USS Midway on June 20, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Sean M. Haffey | Getty Images)

Kyle Petty was swinging for the ocean Monday night -- Pacific, that is -- and doing it quite well.

Kyle Petty hits a home run during the Midway Classic Home Run Derby on June 20, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Sean M. Haffey | Getty Images)

The Phillipsburg grad crushed 22 home runs in the Midway Classic, a home run derby between the Single-A California League and Carolina League on the USS Midway in San Diego, on the way to winning the title.

"There's not really many chances you get to hit a baseball and watch it disappear into the ocean," Petty told MiLB.com, "so you just want to embrace it and take it all in."

Petty, a first baseman in the Seattle Mariners organization currently playing for the Bakersfield Blaze, belted a derby-high eight home runs in the final round to beat out Orioles prospect Aderlin Rodriguez.

Rodriguez finished with four homers, which Petty matched in his first four swings according to MiLB.com and kept swinging even after he had won.

"These people spend their time and money to come out here and you want to put on a show for them," the 2009 Express-Times Player of the Year told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "You don't want to cut it short."

Players hit aboard the aircraft carrier while buoys in the water marked home run territory. Fans on jet skis, boats and kayaks patrolled the ocean to scoop up the baseballs.

The 25-year-old Petty, who is batting .327 with 10 home runs (already a career high), 20 doubles and 43 RBIs in 66 games this season for Bakersfield, had his dad in attendance with him, according to the Union-Tribune.

The former Stateliner, drafted out of California University of Pennsylvania as a senior in 2013, is set to play in the All-Star game Tuesday night.

Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @GJoyce9. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.