JUPITER, Fla. — Jarrett Hoffpauir’s baseball career has taken him many places.

From Vidalia High School to Southern Miss and through several different minor league towns, Hoffpauir has played on many different fields

But there’s still one field he badly wants to play on — Busch Stadium in St. Louis as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hoffpauir is so close to realizing his dream he can taste it, especially when he spent a month of spring training with the Cardinals.

But he was sent back down to the Cardinals’ AAA affiliate, Memphis Redbirds — the team he spent all last season with — last Saturday.

Hoffpauir took the demotion as best he could, but admitted it was frustrating.

“It’s always frustrating when somebody tells you that you can’t be somewhere you want to be,” Hoffpauir said. “You make the best of it, play the best you can and just see what happens.”

Hoffpauir, a Vidalia High standout from 1998-2001, was drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2004 draft after an outstanding career at Southern Miss.

He has quickly risen through the Cardinals farm system and spent all of last season with Memphis, where he hit .273 with four home runs and 45 RBIs while playing second base.

Hoffpauir thought he had a good chance to stick with the Major League team this season, but was sent down without much of an explanation.

“That’s the most frustrating thing,” he said. “Last year I spent spring training with the Cardinals and when they sent me down, they told me some things to work on for making the majors, but this time they really didn’t tell me anything. That’s more frustrating than anything.”

Even though he was sent back to Memphis, Hoffpauir enjoyed his time with the Cardinals, and said the experience is invaluable.

“You come in here and see how they go about their business,” Hoffpauir said. “They are as professional as you can be. You just want to watch and learn.”

Hoffpauir said the major league players do a lot to help out the young guys.

“They know what it’s like to be first and second year players,” he said. “Plenty of guys help us out and show us the ropes.”

In Hoffpauir’s case, one of those players was former Cardinal and current Chicago Cub Aaron Miles.

“Last year I came in to my first Major League camp and I didn’t know anything,” Hoffpauir said. “Aaron Miles really took me under his wing and helped me out a lot.”

Hoffpauir admits his baseball career has been a dreamlike ride since he was playing for his father, Johnny Lee Hoffpauir, at Vidalia High School, but he can’t slow down and risk the dream ending.

“It seems like yesterday I was at Vidalia High and watching these Major League players on TV,” Hoffpauir said. “And now I’m sharing a clubhouse with them. But on the other hand, I’m out there for business, and it’s time to play baseball.”

And part of Hoffpauir’s business will be waiting for the call to come that lets him know he’ll be joining the Cardinals. He’s hoping that call comes sooner rather than later.

“It’s just a situation that requires something to happen,” Hoffpauir said. “Somebody will get injured or won’t be playing well. But whether it’s now or in June or two years from now, who knows?”