RHP Brady Feigl (right) from Parkway Central recently committed to University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Ranked No. 11 in the Class of 2014, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Feigl helped made a name for himself at the Midwest Future Games, with an 86-88-mph fastball and a straight change up that is a legit out pitch. Feigl saw his stock rise quickly after his outing, catching the eye of quite a few college coaches. Feigl is the seventh player from Team Missouri of the Midwest Future Games to make his commitment to a D1 school, and fifth to an SEC school.

We recently caught up with Feigl to get some thoughts on his decision to commit to Ole Miss.

PBR: Which schools were you considering prior to committing to Ole Miss?
Feigl: Other schools that I was considering were Missouri State, Mizzou, Louisville, Central Florida and Kentucky. 

PBR: What were the reasons that you ultimately chose Ole Miss?
Feigl: There were a lot of factors that I considered in making my college choice, but I chose Ole Miss because of academics, strength of the baseball program, comfort level with the coaching staff and the amazing campus and sports facilities.

PBR: What was the relationship you had with the Ole Miss coaches in the recruitment process?
Feigl: My relationship with the Ole Miss Coaches during the recruitment process was very comfortable.  My initial contact was with Coach Godwin, but I ended up talking mostly with the pitching coach, Carl Lafferty.  During the recruiting process all of the Ole Miss Coaches, including head coach Mike Bianco, made me feel relaxed and valued.  They showed me an approach to baseball and academics that really clicked with me.

PBR: Do you feel that playing in Missouri and facing the competition you do has prepared you to be a college player?
Feigl: Definitely.  At a very young age, my summer team began playing local and state tournaments.  As we grew older, we competed at the regional and national levels.  We’re all in our junior year of high school now and I’m the second player to commit to a D1 program.  And I know that quite a few of my teammates are being recruited by D1 schools.

PBR: What team did you play for over the summer and how did it go for you? Were there any aspects of your game that you wanted to improve during the summer?
Feigl: Last summer I played for the 16U St. Louis Rawlings Prospects.  It was a great summer.  We competed hard, got quite a bit of attention from the recruiters and we had a great time doing all that.

My most memorable personal experience from this past summer was throwing a no hitter in a Columbia, MO tournament game.  But overall, I’d have to say that the highlight of my summer was playing for Andy Benes.  Every young pitcher should have that opportunity.

Personally, I had experienced a pretty good jump in my velocity going into the summer, but I wanted to work on my control and consistency – being able to transition from my fastball to my off speed stuff without any problems locating pitches.  I think that I made progress but still have work to do.

PBR: As you head into your junior year, is it good to have the commitment and recruiting process done?
Feigl: Going into my junior year, it feels great to have the commitment and recruiting process finished.  For me, the recruiting process probably started early last summer and it was a lot of fun.  Seeing recruiters at the games, emails and campus visits were all very exciting, but I guess I really didn’t realize how stressful it was until I committed to Ole Miss and felt the pressure release.  Now I feel like I can focus back on academics and training in order to prepare for the upcoming high school season.

PBR: Do you feel that this season will be any different considering that you know where you’ll attend college?
Feigl: Having my college selection made will free up a lot of time to focus on my school work and training for my junior high school baseball season.

PBR: What do you hope to accomplish in this upcoming season on an individual level?
Feigl: My primary focus in this upcoming season is improving my pitch location.  I want to more consistently hit my spots and stay around the strike zone.  I was able to achieve that through mid-season last summer, but I felt that I slipped a little late in the year.

PBR: What advice would you give to other players who are just beginning the recruiting process?
Feigl: I don’t know that this advice would work for everyone, but I always put academics first.  When you look at potential schools, make sure the colleges that you pursue will meet all of your academic needs.  If you are lucky enough to find one that meets both academic and athletic goals then that’s the place you should be.

PBR: You participated in the Prep Baseball Report Midwest Future Games this year, how do you think PBR aided in and prepared you for your recruiting?
Feigl: I really enjoyed playing in the PBR Midwest Future Games this past August in Champagne, IL.  I met quite a few really strong players from the state of Missouri and have stayed in contact with several.  There were more college recruiters there than at any other event that I had played in to that point in my recruiting.  It exposed me to many universities and I know at least one of the Ole Miss Coaches was in attendance.  I believe that’s the first time they had a chance to see me pitch.  That event will open many doors for a college baseball prospect.