Latest News
Kingfish Add Three Illini To The Roster
Nielsen To Return With Teammates Schultz and McInerney
Kenosha, Wis. – The Kingfish have added three players from the University of Illinois to the 2015 roster. J.D. Nielsen will be returning along with his teammates Matt Schultz and Pat McInerney.
Nielsen, a 6’6”, 205-pound junior from Winterset, Iowa will return for his second season. Last summer, he compiled a 4.52 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched. Nielsen finished the season with a 3-2 record.
So far, in his 2015 season with the Fighting Illini, Nielsen holds a 1.29 ERA with eight strikeouts in seven innings of work. During his sophomore year, Nielsen did not allow a run in ten of his 14 appearances out of the bullpen. He also tallied ten strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched.
Schultz, a 6’2”, 190-pound junior from Plainfield, Illinois will be another contributing arm this summer. Schultz is off to a solid start this season with a 2.53 ERA and seven strikeouts in 10.2 innings.
Prior to transferring to Illinois, Schultz spent 2014 at Wabash College. He finished with a 3.38 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched. In 2013, Schultz spent his freshman year at Auburn University here he pitched a 3.18 ERA In 5.2 innings of work.
McInerney, a 6’5”, 240-pound sophomore, will be joining his teammates in Kenosha as well. The outfielder from Glen Ellyn, Illinois has started 16 games for the Illini in 2015. He currently has a .390 batting average with 23 hits, 16 RBIs and two home runs.
As a freshman, McInerney hit .203 with eight runs, one home run and five RBIs. At Benet Academy High School, McInerney earned IHSA Class 3A all-state honors and was named East Suburban Catholic Conference player of the Year after leading his team to the conference title. He batted .381 with eight home runs as a senior.
The Kingfish will host a First Pitch event this Saturday, March 28th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at Lynch Chevrolet Kenosha located at 10901 75th Street. At this event the Kingfish will be announcing ballpark improvements at Historic Simmons Field for the 2015 season. The Kingfish will also unveil the 2015 roster, promotions and the 7-game package referral program. This family friendly event will include ballpark food and soda and will be open to the public, free of charge. 7-Game Packs can be purchased at the event as the Kingfish sales staff will be on-hand to assist fans and answer questions.
The Kingfish will open the season at home on Tuesday, May 26th at 7:05 pm as they take on the St. Cloud Rox. Kingfish single-game tickets will go on-sale on Saturday, April 25th at 9:00 am.
###
The Kenosha Kingfish are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website.
