Peyton Fosher joined the Nevada baseball team in 2024 with the dream of becoming a professional pitcher. After two seasons with the Wolf Pack, that’s now a reality. The Tomball, Texas native spent a pair of seasons at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas prior to joining Nevada where he started 29 games, emerging as the Wolf Pack’s Friday ace last year. After helping Nevada win a Mountain West regular-season championship in May, Fosher was a 19th-round draft pick by Miami earlier this month and got a six-figure bonus to sign with the Marlins rather than return to Nevada for a fifth college season. Fosher is Nevada Sports Net’s Wolf Pack Athlete of the Month for July.

You can watch our interview with Fosher below or read the Q&A underneath that. This feature is presented in partnership with Champion Chevrolet.

Q&A with Peyton Fosher

NSN: Take us through draft day. What was that like for you learning that you were gonna be a professional baseball player?

Peyton Fosher: “Honestly, I wasn’t too nervous about it at first. I actually spent the first half of my day out at a family friend’s ranch and I was just fishing. Then we were about to get packed up and started heading back home and got the call that there’s going to be a chance to go in the last 10 rounds. I was just kind of waiting, kind of got down to the last couple rounds, started getting nervous and then once they called me in the 19th, I got pretty excited and couldn’t be happier.”

NSN: Were you back home in Texas?

Peyton Fosher: “Yes, sir, I was.”

NSN: What were those last couple of rounds like for you? Are you tracking it on the MLB website? Are you watching it on TV? What are you trying to do to pass the time to see if you’re gonna get picked?

Peyton Fosher: “My family and my girlfriend, we were all sitting in my living room at home and we’re just kind of watching the tracker on the TV. And then I think around the 17th round, the tracker stopped working on our TV, so we were getting a little nervous. Once we got that back going, I got a call from my advisor at very end of the 18th round and he told me I was going in the 19th, so it was very exciting to be there with my family and everyone.”

NSN: When did that first become a dream for you and something you felt like you could accomplish, becoming a professional baseball player? How did that moment live up to your expectations for being drafted?

Peyton Fosher: “Honestly, it’s been a dream since I could remember. I started swinging a baseball bat when I was, like, 18 months old my parents told me. Just growing up, I wasn’t always the biggest, the strongest or the fastest, any of that. I never really thought that professional was super realistic, It didn’t really become realistic until coming to Nevada and realizing it was definitely a possibility. When I got the call, it was everything I had dreamed of, and I got pretty excited.”

NSN: You just completed draft camp with the Miami Marlins. They got everybody they selected down to Miami in the big-league stadium. Walk us through that experience to begin your professional career and be in a big-league stadium.

Peyton Fosher: “It was unbelievable. Getting to throw in a big-league stadium and be in the bullpen and they’ve got a brand new weight room down there in Miami. Getting to work on that was really cool. It’s top-of-the-notch equipment, everything you could ever dream of in a weight room. We got to go to a Miami Marlins game. That was pretty cool. It was good to see all the guys and I actually met a couple of them. I met some of the coaches, and it was really cool. We got to actually meet with a couple of the big-league players and do a Q&A. We also met with the general manager, so it was pretty awesome.”

NSN: They got you a 12-room Airbnb, and that’s where you all stayed. Take us into that room and that house and just the excitement you guys all had to begin this journey together.

Peyton Fosher: “Yeah, they got us a 12-room Airbnb down in Miami about 10 minutes from the stadium, so that was nice. They had a pickleball court in the backyard, basketball court, pool, hot tub. Down in the basement, they had ping-pong. It was basically anything you could think of. Just getting to know all the guys was pretty cool. I was actually assigned to a room with two Oregon State guys, Aiva Arquette and Wilson Weber, so getting to meet with them and talk to them about their college experience and what they’re looking forward to do in pro ball was pretty fun.”

NSN: How did your stint at Nevada help get you there? You’re originally from Tomball, Texas. That’s outside of Houston. You did two years at junior college and the last two years with the Wolf Pack. What did Nevada do to help you get to this position where you’re playing professional baseball?

Peyton Fosher: “Nevada helped me tremendously. I remember being on my visit to Nevada and Jake McKinley, the first thing he asked me was if I wanted to play professional baseball. And I was, like, ‘Yeah.’ And he was, like, ‘No, seriously. Do you want to?’ I said, ‘That’s the dream so yes.’ And he’s, like, ‘Well, we’re gonna do whatever it takes to get you there.’ I just bought into their plan and their knowledge coming from pro ball and bringing it to college. I owe my life to them. They helped with literally everything, and I couldn’t have asked for better coaches and staff to get me here.”

NSN: You stepped up as the Friday ace for the Wolf Pack this season as you guys won a Mountain West regular-season championship. How did you feel that responsibility of being the guy that set the tone for these weekend series and how do you feel like you performed in that role?

Peyton Fosher: “I was very excited when Jake told me that I was going to be the Friday night starter. You get to set the tone for the weekend. I feel like I could have done a lot better this year. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself leading up to the draft, but they were always there, they always had my back. Even after bad outings, they said, ‘You’re still our guy no matter what. Just keep going out there and competing.’ And that helped me a lot.”

NSN: Walk us through your arsenal and what made you a professional baseball player. Take us through your pitches, what you like to throw and then what you’re looking to improve upon to get up to the big-league level.

Peyton Fosher: “I’ve got a fastball, slider, curveball and a changeup. I definitely leaned heavily on my fastball this year with getting my velo up a little more. Just with the first couple of meetings with the Marlins, I know they want to get my velo up a little bit more. They want to add a sweeper into my repertoire and maybe possibly a sinker.”

NSN: Did you kind like the Marlins were on the radar? Had you talked with scouts from them or did it come out of the blue? How did they know about you all the way out here on the other side of the country?

Peyton Fosher: “No, actually, funny enough, the Marlins are one of the few teams I haven’t talked to all year long. Day one of draft, I was at the mall with my girlfriend and I got a text from a Miami Marlins scout, and he was, like, ‘Hey, is this your number?’ And I was, like, ‘Yeah.’ And then leading up to the next day, I really still thought not too much of it because I didn’t think it was going to happen. Once it finally did, I was kind of shocked, but I couldn’t ask to be in a better organization.”

NSN: What was that conversation like with Jake? You spoke so highly of Jake McKinley, and I’m sure he wanted you back for your senior season, but he also wanted you to get to the pro level, which he promised. What was that call like telling him you were going pro and forgoing your senior season?

Peyton Fosher: “He texted me after it happened and just congratulated me and that he was happy to have me. They’re gonna go out and do big things this year in the Mountain West. I think they’re gonna be even better this year than we were last year, so I’m excited to see what they can do.”

NSN: As we mentioned, you’re from Texas and right now down in the South Florida area. What’s the thing you’re going to miss most about living in Reno and being a part of this community up here?

Peyton Fosher: “The beautiful weather, that is for sure. You get to go through all seasons there. That’s something I had never experienced down in Texas. But it’s definitely hot here, and I think it stays hot here all year round. I got to pitch in the snow a couple of times, so I won’t miss that. But definitely excited to pitch in warmer weather and just get after it.”

NSN: You’re right now in Jupiter, Fla. How would you compare the heat and the humidity from your hometown in Texas to what you’re experiencing right now in Florida?

Peyton Fosher: “I think it’s very similar in my opinion. I think the temperatures get a little hotter in Texas, but I think that humidity is a little bit stronger down here in South Florida.”

NSN: A couple of your former Wolf Pack teammates also got drafted. Easton Marks last year was at Florida International. And then Nico Wagner, originally from South Tahoe High School, was at West Valley College. Tell us a little bit about those guys and just seeing them get drafted.

Peyton Fosher: “It was cool to see them get drafted. They both deserve it. They both work hard. Funny enough, me and Easton Marks went back-to-back in the draft, so seeing his name called right before mine was definitely funny. I definitely wasn’t expecting that whatsoever, but very happy for them and excited to see what they can do in their careers.”

NSN: What’s your near future look like? A lot of times with a pitcher, they’ll shut you down at the end of the season and get you ready for the next year. What do the next couple of weeks look like for you as you begin this journey?

Peyton Fosher: “Right now I’m ramping back up and threw off the mound for the first time last week. I’m going hop on the mound again on Thursday. Our pitching director, Bill Hezel, wants to see us get in game at least a couple of times before the end of the year, just to see the difference in the way a minor-league ball moves with our repertoire and also just being at sea level rather than being all the way up in the mountains of Reno makes a big difference in how the ball moves. In about three weeks or so, I’ll be hopping in game and seeing how that goes.”

For previous Wolf Pack Athletes of the Month Q&As, click here