UWSP alums donate $500K to Pointers baseball
For the Metro Wire
Pointers baseball, its fans and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will benefit from a generous gift from alumni Jordan and Mandy Zimmermann.
Jordan Zimmermann, who pitched for the Pointers before moving up to the big leagues, and his wife Mandy, who played outfield for the Pointers softball team, have given $500,000 to support Pointers baseball.
“We are grateful to the Zimmermanns for their commitment to our student-athletes and to the Pointers baseball program,” said UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Bernie Patterson. “Their investment in our students and our community represents a powerful vote of confidence in UW-Stevens Point.”
The Zimmermanns’ gift will allow the university to replace the existing scoreboard with a professional-style scoreboard, a newly branded backstop, and a double batting cage area, among other improvements to the field. “This is a great moment for the Pointers baseball program,” said Pointers Head Baseball Coach Jeremy Jirschele. “These field enhancements will give our student-athletes a great facility.”
The Zimmermanns wanted to make the greatest difference to help the team and the program that helped give Jordan his start, with Jirschele.
“UW-Stevens Point means a great deal to Mandy and me,” Jordan Zimmermann said. “The coaches, the athletics administration and the university have been incredibly supportive, both when we were student-athletes and even now when I am pitching for the Detroit Tigers. Central Wisconsin is our home. It’s where we live and raise our family. UWSP and Pointers baseball has been an integral part of our lives for a long time and will continue to be for years to come. We are really happy to be able to give back to Point, to make a difference. We look forward to watching our Pointers continue to succeed on the diamond.”
In recognition of the gift—the largest of its kind to a Pointers athletics program, according to a UWSP news release—UWSP plans to rename University Field “Zimmermann Field.” Renovations to Zimmermann Field should be completed by the beginning of the fall 2019 semester.
“We appreciate Jordan’s and Mandy’s generosity and commitment to our team,” said Brad Duckworth, athletics director. “Most of all, we appreciate their partnership in supporting and building the best Pointers baseball team for our student-athletes. It will encourage more young players to come to UWSP and play baseball where one of the best, Jordan Zimmermann, has played while getting a quality education.”
The Zimmermanns’ gift continues the momentum of the university’s “Then, Now & Forever: We Are Point Campaign,” which is scheduled to conclude on June 30. After surpassing the initial announced goal of $30 million last fall, this is a major boost toward the university’s stretch goal of $40 million.
