KENOSHA, Wis. – Kenosha has added two more hitters to its signing haul from the Big Ten Conference, adding Purdue infielder Mike Madej and Nebraska catcher Jesse Wilkening to its 2017 roster. The announcement comes after the Kingfish already signed a trio of hitters from the University of Illinois.
Madej is a 5-foot-10, 172 pound freshman switch hitter from Manhattan, Illinois, and one of just three players to start all 27 games of the season for Purdue. He has slashed his way to a .226 batting average to this point in the season with eight extra base hits, including one homer. His 15 runs driven in and three stolen bases each sit fourth on the team. He’s recorded six multi-hit games this season, including three straight from March 18-22.
Madej was part of a Providence Catholic High School class that won three consecutive state titles in baseball, and recorded three-hit games in each title game he was a part of. He reached base every game of his senior year, and finished the season with a .450 batting average and a 1.276 OPS.
Wilkening is a 5-foot-9, 193-pound sophomore from Cedar Lake, Indiana who opted to join the Cornhuskers instead of signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who selected him in the 28th round of the 2015 MLB draft. He’s served as Nebraska’s primary catcher in 2017, starting 18 of 26 games. In 67 at-bats, Wilkening has compiled a .239 batting average with three doubles and seven runs batted in.
Wilkening started 30 games of his freshman year in 2016, batting .270 with five extra base hits and 12 RBI’s. At Hanover Central High School, he amassed a state record 206 hits over the course of his career. He’s on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List for 2017.
Tickets and merchandise for the Kenosha Kingfish are on sale now. For more information on 7-game packs, season or group tickets, please visit kingfishbaseball.com or call 262.653.0900. The Platinum Systems Ticket Office is open from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday through Friday at Simmons Field, 7817 Sheridan Rd. in Kenosha.
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The Kenosha Kingfish are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.kingfishbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Kingfish as your favorite team