Feyereisen back home pitching for the Brewers

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) -

For a long time, Auburndale’s Jordan Zimmermann has carried the mantle for UW-Stevens Point players in the big leagues. But this year. J.P. Feyereisen has a chance to be the next Pointer to reach the majors, with his hometown team.

"It's something that you dream of as a kid."

Feyereisen returned to River Falls a few weeks after spring training was shut down. Good timing, his hometown had just built a brand-new turf field.

“It’s been great, I’ve been able to throw on that every day,” said Feyereisen. “I mean even if it’s raining. the turf still, it’s not like you’re sloshing through mud or anything like that.”

And when the Brewers announced the former Pointer was part of their summer camp roster, he was ready to roll.

“I was still in camp when we ended (spring training),” said Feyereisen. “So, I actually never got a call like ‘hey, you’re going to make this summer team,’ it was more, we were talking the entire time. Like ‘hey, be ready, when this starts up you have to be ready to roll.’”

The 27-year old is still looking to make his big-league debut, and the Yankees trading him to the Brewers last fall gives him a legit opportunity.

“Behind that (the Yankees') ‘pen there was just nothing that you could do,” Feyereisen said. “You just try and bide your time, and hopefully keep getting guys out, and hopefully someone sees you, and I just got lucky that it was the hometown team.”

Playing pro ball was just a dream when Feyereisen was in college, but his time in Central Wisconsin laid the roots to make it reality.

“That (playing pro ball) wasn’t my plan,” said Feyereisen. “I was going to school to be a physical education, special education teacher.”

“And it just worked out that I pitched well enough at college and then got into the Northwoods League and got a couple of looks. Then I got lucky enough to get drafted.”

Six years after being drafted, Feyereisen hopes to have ‘Milwaukee’ across his jersey at some point this season at Miller Park, a stadium he has pitched at once before.

“My senior year of high school I actually got to pitch in the Legion All-Star Game at Miller Park,” Feyereisen said. “So stepping on the mound as an actual Brewer instead of having ‘Post 101: River Falls’ on my jersey, I would have Milwaukee, would be just an unbelievable experience.”

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