All-American Houston Cougars infielder Jake Rainess learned from Jeremy Peña before MLB breakthrough

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all the workout facilities in Maine, Jake Rainess thought he'd found the perfect gym to keep his baseball dream going.

Then, the police showed up.

"Police officer (said), 'Nope. If you guys come back up here, you're gonna get arrested.' And we were like, 'Arrested?'" Rainess recalled the desperation for a place to work out.

Rainess was new to the University of Maine program and didn't know many of his teammates well. That's when he got a call from infielder Joey Bramanti.

"He says, 'Hey, man, why don't you just stay up in Maine? It's gonna be me and a couple of guys who live up here,'" Rainess said.

One of those guys was a relatively unknown infielder in the Astros' minor league system known as "J.P." to all his teammates and friends.

Rainess fondly recalled the daily outdoor routine that was a lifeline when all the indoor facilities were closed.

"We just started playing ball every day," Rainess said. "Fell into a good routine. Eleven o'clock every day, we'd go hit. Then, we'd take some ground balls, run a little bit, and do some lifting."

They also tied a rope around their waists and dragged a tire that the minor leaguer had picked up from a local garage.

Jeremy Peña showed his teammates how that work could improve their speed. Rainess quickly became a convert.

"I don't know what to do without the tire. It's my life now. I've adopted the tire lifestyle," Rainess said.

The group also set up a gym with a squat rack inside an apartment.

"One guy would be playing video games. One guy would be squatting. One guy would be cooking dinner," Rainess said.

Rainess learned every lesson Peña had to offer. After hitting 16 home runs and stealing 38 bases last season at Maine, the shortstop transferred to the University of Houston and was named preseason All-American.

Rainess credited his time with the future World Series MVP by teaching him how to work and enjoy the game he loves. He's also adjusting to Peña's status in his new home of Houston.

"The first thing I see when I'm driving from the airport is a billboard with his face on it and I'm just like, 'Are we serious right now?'" he said with a grin.

SEE ALSO: Astros parade littered with marriage proposals for World Series MVP Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Peña was a popular person during the Astros' World Series championship parade. Multiple signs asking for his hand in marriage were spotted.

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