Wisconsinite Grace Girard has had a lot of firsts this year. She was on a reality TV dating show. She gave farming a go. And Friday night, she’ll be trying her hand at pitching.
The former “Farmer Wants a Wife” star will be throwing out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game. The Crew will be taking on the Cincinnati Reds at 7:10 p.m. at American Family Field — the first of a three-game series.
“It’s super-exciting,” Girard told the Journal Sentinel Friday afternoon. “I’ve been a lifelong Brewers fan, so I am ecstatic to be a part of the game this way.”
Girard’s mom — who grew up in a baseball-loving family — instilled that love of the game in her daughter, Girard shared. They’ve gone to a lot of Brewers games together over the years.
“I just love the ambiance,” Girard said. “It’s such a great stadium … When the Brewers are winning, it’s so fun. When the Brewers aren’t winning, it’s fun to just have the other activities in the stadium to do. You can’t beat it, especially on a nice summer day like today.”
Leading up to her pitching debut, Girard — whose sport is tennis — has been practicing quite a bit. She’s nervous, excited and may or may not have a “couple beers” beforehand for some liquid courage.
“I’m just going to try my best,” she said.
A lot of her loved ones will be at the ballpark, cheering her on. One of them is her younger sister, Abby, who viewers got to meet when Farmer Brandon Rogers — Grace’s love interest on the show — visited the Girard family in Caledonia. She’ll be accompanying her sister on the field.
Rogers chose Girard on the show’s Season 2 finale, which filmed last year and aired on Fox in May. But, during the reunion, it was revealed that the two were no longer together. They split shortly after filming concluded, but had remained close friends, Girard shared with the JS last month.
The support her home state has shown her has been “amazing,” Girard said Friday.
“I can’t say enough about the love I’ve felt from Wisconsin and Milwaukee and my hometown,” she said.