Eureka native Ben Zobrist handles a ground ball during his days as a Tampa Bay Rays second baseman. (Wikipedia photo by Keith Allison.)

Ben Zobrist’s arrival with the Chicago Cubs may test the broader baseball loyalties of family, friends and fans in his hometown of Eureka and beyond.

But there’s one area of unanimity among area Cardinals, Cubs and White Sox fans.

They’ll all be rooting for Ben.

“It’s been great around town,” his father, Eureka resident Tom Zobrist, told the Chronicle last week. “I think if they know Ben they’ll all be pulling for him at some level. I don’t think they’ll (become) full-blown Cubs fans but they’ll still pull for him.”

The 34-year-old Ben Zobrist, a versatile infielder and outfielder who helped Kansas City win the 2015 World Series, signed a four-year deal with the Cubs last week. 

“Now we get to be a little closer to home, so were excited about that,” Zobrist said at a press conference in Nashville, Tenn. “In the end, our heart(s) wanted to be in Chicago as a family, wanted to play for (Cubs manager) Joe Maddon again, and I want to win a championship as a Chicago Cub.

“That’s my one goal the next four years is we’ve got to win a championship and bring a World Series trophy back to Chicago.”

The family, of course, is thrilled to have Ben closer to home.

“For Ben to be part of (the Cubs) we’re real, real excited,” said Tom Zobrist, senior pastor at Eureka’s Liberty Bible Church. “And to have him close to home is just icing on the cake for us. … I’m sure we’ll be making a lot of road trips to Chicago this year.”

A 2001 Eureka High School graduate, Ben Zobrist played college baseball at Olivet Nazarene University and transferred to Dallas Baptist University as a senior. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2004 draft and within two years hit the Major Leagues.

Zobrist spent nine seasons with Tampa Bay under Maddon, a major influence and catalyst in his big league development.

He’s a lifetime .265 hitter with 127 home runs, 567 RBIs and a .983 fielding average. Zobrist played in 16 post-season games this year, batting .258 with four homers and nine RBIs. He’s a career .353 hitter at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs were among several teams — including the Mets and Nationals — who were interested in Zobrist’s services.

“This is a process that our faith is really important to us and that we prayed through,” he said. “There were many good teams to choose from. We had some great options out there, some really great teams and I don’t think there was a wrong choice for us.”

–No divided loyalties for Eureka native and new Cub Ben Zobrist–