Where Are They Now?
When Jeremy Jirschele arrived at Athletic Park for the 2004 Woodchucks’ season, he was confident that he could compete with Division I players in the Northwoods League. “In 2004, UW-Whitewater’s starting rotation all threw in the 90’s” Jeremy recalled. “So I was pretty confident that I had already seen Northwoods League-quality pitching.” He also recalled coming to the team from UW-Oshkosh as “a utility player with the expectation that he would fill in at third base, short stop, and second base,” with the hopes of earning a starting position after a conversation with then-coach Darin Everson. Jirschele ended the 2004 season leading the team with a .293 hitting average, earned MVP honors, and was awarded a Rawlings Silver Glove Award. However, this was not the first
time that Jirschele shined on the diamond.
During his playing career at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a Division III school, Jeremy was voted the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WIAC) Position Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 while hitting .430 throughout the duration of his final two seasons. He still holds the WIAC record for career doubles (53) and is second in career hits (253). He was also voted a two-time First Team All-American by the Baseball Coaches Association.
Following his playing career, Jeremy began coaching at Wausau West High School, where he led the team to two state tournament appearances in three seasons. In 2012, he joined the Woodchucks coaching staff as the team’s hitting and infield coach. That season, the Woodchucks made the playoffs after recording the most wins in franchise history (43-27).
After the 2012 Woodchucks season ended, Jirschele was named to the UW-Stevens Point coaching staff as an assistant coach. In his four seasons in that role, Jeremy helped the Pointers to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a fourth-place finish in 2013. UW-Stevens Point also won two WIAC Tournament titles and finished as the NCAA West Regional runner-up in 2014. In 2015, Jirschele was named Interim Head Coach of the team, and in August 2017, he earned the official title of Head Coach.
In his current position at UWSP, Jeremy’s relationship with the Northwoods League comes full circle. He now sends players into the league primarily as temporary players and late season fill-ins. He feels the Northwoods League “offers a unique opportunity for his players to develop in a pro-ball environment, with large crowds and talented players.” Jeremy credits the Northwoods League with preparing him for pro-baseball, which he got to experience after being selected in the 30th round of the 2005 draft by the Kansas City Royals. “It was a great opportunity to meet student athletes from all over the country,” and he now gets to give the same opportunity with the Northwoods League to current student athletes.
In addition to his coaching role with the Pointers baseball team, he also is the head coach of the Jirschele Baseball Academy (JBA) Clutch team, and coached the Wausau Little League All-Star team to a state championship win in 2017, becoming one of six teams to make it to the Great Lakes Regional Tournament. One of the Wausau Little League All-Stars was Jeremy’s son Keagan, proving that baseball will continue to run in the Jirschele family.
Jeremy and Keagan are not the only two men in the Jirschele family with successful baseball careers. Jeremy’s father, Mike, played for the Wausau Timbers in 1979, and before turning to coaching, he spent 13 seasons in the minor league. He currently is the third base coach of the 2015 World Series Champions, the Kansas City Royals. Jeremy’s brother, Justin, played professional baseball for the Chicago White Sox and now coaches at the minor league level.
Today, Jeremy and his wife Jennie reside in Wausau with their five children: Keagan, Taelyn, Paetyn, Taetym and Rielyn.
