Columbia University Trio To Debut with Rockers in 2026
Outfielder Fishel joins hard-throwing right-handed pitchers, Soske and Harrigan\Ashwaubenon, Wis.-Three members of the Columbia University baseball team have signed with the Rockers for the upcoming summer. Centerfielder Ben Fishel will be joined by right-handed pitchers Payton Soske and Will Harrigan in Green Bay. Columbia begins a four-game weekend series at South Florida starting this Friday.
Ben Fishel – OF – 5’11”/185 – Sophomore
The fleet footed centerfielder Fishel has appeared in nine games for Columbia to begin his sophomore campaign, posting a .243 average on the young season. He broke onto the scene as a true freshman last year, appearing in 33 games while batting .305 with two home runs and 17 RBI. He is no stranger to summer baseball having competed in the Western Canadian League last year while putting up an impressive stat line. In 47 games, he recorded 70 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI while stealing 27 bases. His .378 batting average and .484 on-base percentage along with his hit total led the team. A graduate of Tappan Zee High School in Orangeburg, New York, Fishel was a four-year varsity baseball starter. He was named Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-County, and First Team All-State selection his junior and senior seasons. He was also named 2024 All-New York State after posting a .603 batting average with 41 hits in 23 games his senior year.
Payton Soske – RHP – 6’4”/225 – Redshirt Junior
After dealing with injury during the spring of 2025, Soske worked his way back to competition last summer while appearing in three games for the Lakeshore Chinooks in the Northwoods League, recording six strikeouts in 2.2 innings. He has continued his success in the early going this spring, appearing in three games for the Lions while recording six strikeouts and one save across 3.1 innings out of the bullpen. During last weekend’s series against West Virginia, Soske recorded a top fastball velocity of 96.4 MPH and looks to be a big part of the Rockers pitching staff this summer. He is a native of Barrington, Illinois.
Will Harrigan – RHP – 5’11”/200 – Junior
Harrigan has joined Soske out of the pen this spring for Columbia, appearing in three games and recording six strikeouts in six innings. In his appearance against West Virginia last weekend, his fastball velocity topped 94.6 MPH which was the third highest on the Columbia staff. Last year he made 14 appearances out of the bullpen for the Lions, recording his first collegiate win at Penn and first collegiate save at Princeton. He previously played in both the Futures Collegiate League and the New England Collegiate League the past two summers, which should be beneficial as he enters his first summer in the Northwoods League. Harrigan hails from Syracuse, New York.
Single game tickets are on sale now. Season ticket packages, group tickets and the Pep’s Drafthaus Flex Packs are also available. Visit www.greenbayrockers.com or call the ticket office at 920-497-7225 to reserve your seats today. The Rockers front office at Capital Credit Union Park is located at 2231 Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.
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The Green Bay Rockers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 410 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX).