Eugene Emeralds pitcher Matt Irsfeld has come full circle.
After a long journey starting at Churchill High School in Eugene, winding through college in Washington and Southern California, and a short stop in an independent league, Irsfeld is back in Eugene playing professional baseball.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Irsfeld said.
After graduating from Churchill, Irsfeld decided to play baseball at the University of Puget Sound as an outfielder. After a year, Irsfeld transferred to Chapman University, where he switched from outfielder to pitcher. Although Irsfeld realizes the move was to his benefit, he still misses hitting.
“I just had a really good arm and my coach there saw it and decided I should concentrate on pitching,” Irsfeld said. “Every now and then you’ll be like, ‘Oh, it would be nice to hit.’ I like being out there and being on the mound.”
After Irsfeld’s senior year at Chapman, where he had his best season, he hoped to be drafted in the MLB draft. The New York Yankees called him and expressed interest, but he was ultimately passed over.
“My senior year at Chapman I pitched the most and I had some looks from different teams, but it just didn’t happen,” Irsfeld said.
Irsfeld was disappointed, but he wanted to give baseball one more shot. He signed with the independent Orange County Flyers in the Golden League.
“Even if it was just a summer job for that last summer just playing independent ball, I knew I wasn’t ready to hang ’em up yet,” Irsfeld said.
His persistence paid off when his manager at the Flyers, Phil Nevin, said he should throw bullpen at Petco Park for the San Diego Padres. Nevin, who played with the Padres for six years and was an All-Star in 2001, thought Irsfeld had a shot in the organization. The Padres liked what they saw after throwing bullpen at the ballpark and wanted to see more.  They sent him to the Arizona Winter League for two weeks and then signed him. Irsfeld knew that meant he would be in Eugene.
Teammates describe 6-foot, 1-inch Irsfeld as a quiet but fun-loving guy who would do anything to get the team a win.
Reliever Mauricio Tabachnik considers him his best friend on the team. He met Irsfeld during the Padres’ spring training in March.
“He’s the person that I trust on the team, the person I talk to,” Tabachnik said. “He’s been like my brother on the team.”
“He’s not one of those gregarious, outgoing, goof-off kind of guys,” manager Greg Riddoch said. “He’s a pretty stable personality.”
Tabachnik said he feels comfortable talking with Irsfeld about anything, from places to eat, to girlfriends to stories from his life.
On the field, the right-handed Irsfeld comes out of the bullpen and provides middle relief for Eugene. He has struggled a bit, going 0-2 in 13 appearances this year with a 5.68 ERA.
But on Saturday against the Vancouver Canadians, Irsfeld pitched a flawless ninth inning, getting two strikeouts and a fly out.
Riddoch said his pitching is good, but he tends to be wild. His biggest problem is throwing strikes consistently.
“Like most young kids his age, they don’t have command of their body and so they have a different release point and they’re going to get different results,” Riddoch said.
Irsfeld agrees with Riddoch’s evaluation.
“When I’m consistent, I know I’m pretty good and it’s hard to hit my good stuff,” Irsfeld said. “Where I get in trouble is when I get outside the zone a little bit.”
Riddoch said Irsfeld, 23, needs time and experience to acquire command of his pitches, but he has to learn quickly because of his age. Irsfeld is one of only six players on the roster over 23 years of age.
“It takes about five years to get a hold of that,” Riddoch said. “That’s why it takes five years to get to the big leagues for any player.”
Outside of baseball, there’s a level of comfort living in Eugene. He likes knowing where all the restaurants are, and he’s enjoying living with his grandmother. Having friends and family around to watch his games is a big bonus. His parents have since moved out of the area, but his brother, Drew, and best friend, Jeff Waters, live in Eugene.
“I haven’t really had that before because I’ve been away from home,” Irsfeld said.
Back in Eugene, with friends and family, the circle is complete.
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