By Andrew Harrington

This October brought the first documented pair of high school teammates to earn World Series rings during the same season. It was not some private school in California, a baseball academy in Florida or one of the nation’s largest schools in one of its largest cities. The members of the duo were Alex Call and JP Feyereisen from right at home in River Falls.

It took 11 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers to become back-to-back World Series champions Nov. 1, but they scrapped together the final push to stave off the feisty Toronto Blue Jays 5-4.

Call, a 31-year-old outfielder, has been in the MLB since 2022 with the Cleveland Guardians and Washington Nationals. On July 31, Call was traded to Los Angeles. He played a part in the Dodger run, batting .364 in 11 at-bats. He made three postseason starts including one in game five of the World Series.

“Really special. Just tough to put it all into words. It’s obviously the pinnacle of what you’re trying to do, and just to come from the [Washington Nationals] and kind of be out of the playoffs to all of a sudden go on the best team with one of the best rosters of all time, and just being able to hang out with those guys and play alongside of them, it’s truly an unbelievable experience,” Call said.

Feyereisen, a 32-year-old relief pitcher, has been a big leaguer since 2020. He has pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks and Dodgers. His best stretch came with the Rays in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, Feyereisen made 34 appearances and held a formidable 2.45 earned run average. In 2022, he threw 24.1 innings without giving up a single run until a shoulder injury ended his season and kept him out for the entirety of 2023.

“I was lucky enough that LA traded for me when I got hurt and helped me through my rehab, ” Feyereisen said.

River Falls High School Baseball Head Coach Ryan Bishop said Feyereisen likely would have been an MLB All-Star if not for the injury. Feyereisen mentioned he used to sit around 93-96 miles per hour on his fastball, not throwing much offspeed. After the injury, Feyereisen tosses around 90-93, reinventing himself into a three-pitch pitcher.

“Everyone wants velocity and homers, so if you don’t have velocity or homers, you’ve got to figure out a way to make yourself useful,” Feyereisen said.

Feyereisen may not have been on the Dodgers for the 2025 playoff run after being designated for assignment and electing for free agency, but he made two appearances on the mound for Los Angeles this year, earning a ring. Feyereisen was on the Dodgers in 2024 as well, meaning River Falls has three rings in two years.

“It’s amazing. As a kid you dream about having a World Series ring or winning a World Series. Granted I never got to play in a World Series, but helping a team that ends up winning it all in back-to-back years, granted what the Dodgers are doing now is pretty awesome, to be a part of that, it’s been amazing. It’s even better that I get to watch Alex win one too,” Feyereisen said.

The two River Falls three-sport athletes could have made the MLB and left River Falls behind; however, they both always make time to come back. Whether it be hosting youth camps over the summer, the Feyereisen Foundation which provides accessible physical education equipment and school supplies to people with disabilities or Call hosting a Faith Journey speaking outing at RFHS on Nov. 26 which will also be streamed on the River Falls Sports YouTube page, the two have made contribution after contribution.

“What I’m most proud of Alex and JP for is their humble drive to make our world a better place. So grateful my family has had a front row seat to watch them win and lose, fail and learn, get knocked down and pick themselves back up, and become world champions in both the game of baseball and the game of life. Can’t think of better role models for both kids and adults to look up to in our community,” Bishop stated.

“I’ve been here my whole life, and I don’t plan on leaving,” Feyereisen said. “Everyone helps everyone, and that’s just who we are. Kind of the way it is in RF.”

Call has learned a lot in his time on the Dodgers. Sending sure-fire Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw into retirement with another title was the icing on the cake when the confetti started to pour down.

“It’s gotta be just when you realize that you’re the champs, and you just kind of get to take a step back. You’re on the podium and confetti is coming down, and [I] went off stage and did a snow angel in the confetti. My family’s there and you kind of just soak up those moments,” Call said of the best moment.

“Mookie Betts was the one I could talk to the most. He would open up with me on what he’s gone through, and thought about and done as a player,” Call said. “That was just really cool being able to learn from him.”

One moment that stood out to Bishop about Call was an arm injury that ended both his pitching and infield career. He was forced to be a designated hitter his sophomore year, and as a junior, Call moved to outfield. As a sophomore, Call was only permitted to bat left-handed. Call was and is a right-handed hitter. Something as measly as a dominant hand was not going to slow his spirit.

“The stats don’t lie, Alex and JP are incredible baseball players. But what the stats won’t show is their competitive drive to achieve greatness in every aspect of life. If there was such a stat, no question they’d both be in the hall of fame. But for now, they’ll have to settle for World Champion. Not a bad title for a couple small town Wisconsin kids who dreamed big and swung for the fences,” Bishop stated.

For Feyereisen, it was actually another one of his River Falls teammates who helped mold him into the player he became. Marty Herum has been a long-time throwing partner through thick and thin.

“Without him, I don’t think I would have made it to the big leagues,” Feyereisen said. “He caught my bullpens, came in early in the mornings and worked out with me and was able to be my throwing partner pretty much all through the minor leagues.”

Herum spent years grinding in the minor leagues, eventually working all the way up to AAA.

“After my first couple years in the minors, it was kind of like, alright I can do this, I’m going to be a big leaguer at some point in time, I just need my opportunity,” Feyereisen said.

He looks back fondly on those Tampa Bay Ray teams, as they were composed of many first and second year players. Despite the youth, Tampa won 100 games in 2021 before losing 3-1 in the ALDS to the Boston Red Sox. One of the few veterans, Kevin Kiermaier, is a player Feyereisen made great memories with along the way.

Why was it River Falls that was the first school to accomplish this, though? Well, it was not just one reason.

“River Falls kind of became a baseball town,” Feyereisen said of what was building during his time in high school.

“It’s a little bit of luck involved. The fact that a couple high school teammates could be on a professional team, not only from River Falls, but from any city. I’m sure that there’s been some high school teammates [playing together professionally], but the fact to be on a World Series team, I feel like that’s almost a lottery type of luck.”

“Any on field success for Alex and JP goes back to their families. They were both raised in homes that not only encouraged them to dream big, but supported the ups and downs that come along with swinging for the fences. Their journeys are celebrated by so many family and friends, and really by an entire community that watched them put River Falls on the national sports map,” Bishop stated.

The sentiment throughout River Falls is the same, nothing but appreciation for Call and Feyereisen for representing River Falls and conducting themselves the right way every single day.

“It’s tough to put into words how happy I am for Alex and JP. I’ve been fortunate to know these two from their little league years to their big league years. Great role models who set goals, work their tail off relentlessly in pursuit of those goals, and simply won’t settle until they achieve their goals. Talk about good things happening to good people, no one deserves it more than these two and their families,” Bishop stated.

Call said anyone watching that wants to be River Falls’ next great just needs to stack good days and keep believing.

“You’ve got to believe in yourself, you’ve got to have fun and you’ve got to be ready to work. It’s nothing really crazy. It’s really just done by ingraining little habits,” Call said. “Making it a habit to make great decisions so that you really don’t even have to think about what the answer is.

“All of the sudden you look up and you’re playing in front of 50,000 people,” Call said. “I can’t guarantee you’re going to have a World Series ring, but it’s worked out for me, and I just praise God that it’s been an amazing ride.”

Keywords

World Series,

LA Dodgers,

JP Feyereisen,

Alex Call,

River Falls Wildcats,

baseball