Immediate Impact Chatting with true freshman ace Cade Feeney on what he brings to the bump for the Bison.
Cade Feeney’s athletic heritage stretches far and wide. His father, Steve, played football for the University of North Dakota. His cousin Trey just committed to play football for the Fighting Hawks as well. Kevin, Cade’s uncle (and Trey’s father), is still regarded as one of NDSU’s best quarterbacks. That is not even mentioning his brother Dalton, who currently pitches for North Carolina State and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers.
Needless to say, Cade Feeney has the heritage behind him. However, what makes the youngest Feeney sibling so special is that he is forging his own path. While he holds his family’s successes in high regard, it is his own personal success that is top of mind. Given his body of work in his prep career. Feeney looks to become another dominating force on the mound for North Dakota State. Potentially one of the most highly-touted recruits in program history, Feeney dazzled for Bismarck Century High School. In his final prep season, he finished with a remarkable .80 ERA for the Patriots. His dominance on the bump led
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to him garnering Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2019.
It should come as no surprise that Tod Brown was interested in Feeney. Now a big piece to NDSU’s puzzle in 2021, Feeney has already caught the eye of several Summit League teams. The freshman was named the preseason Freshman Of The Year before he even stepped foot on the mound for the Bison. That distinction alone should illustrate just how good Cade Feeney is. We discussed a transition to college life and more with Feeney. Growing up in a family where your dad went to school at UND, how did you decide to make NDSU your choice for school? Yeah, it was tough. I know talking with my dad, he always wanted me and my brother to play football. When my brother Dalton committed to play baseball, it just took a turn on me where I thought baseball was my path too. I was a little better in baseball than I was in football, but he's been the most supportive of me throughout all my years. I think he was happy with
whatever decision I made. I think he's just happy that I'm playing college baseball. What jumped out to you about the program here at NDSU? What led to you wanting to come here? On my visit, I think the coaches did a tremendous job of showing me around and introducing me to the guys. I felt the good chemistry right away with the recruits coming in. I think just talking on the phone with the coaches continuously was the biggest thing for me. They've always been supportive. No matter what, whatever I was going through, be it an injury or whatever, they've always been there. I think that was the biggest thing. They're one of the most supportive coaching groups that I've talked to. I think they just do a great job of talking with you and showing you everything. Simple things like walking around campus or baseball aspects too. I've learned so many new things from them in just half a year so far. How have you guys navigated these pandemic waters that are changing each day? I think the answer is in the question. We don't know if we're going to have a next