Grafton, WI – Three pitchers from Illinois schools have been added to Travis Akre’s pitching staff as Will Klein (Eastern Illinois), Jace Warkentein (Western Illinois), and Mike YaSenka (Eastern Illinois) will journey north to join the Chinooks in 2019 and continue strong associations with both schools.
Will Klein (RHP/SO) is a hard-throwing righty from Bloomington, IN who made 14 appearances, including three starts, as a freshman for the Panthers. Klein struck out 28 in his 17.2 innings of work. Projected as a possible closer, Klein has recorded 20 strikeouts and a save in his first nine innings of work this year.
Jace Warkentien – Western Illinois
Jace Warkentein (LHP/SO) made 13 appearances for the Leathernecks in his freshman campaign, fanning 14 hitters in his 18.2 innings of work. The product of Winnebago, IL was an Academic All-State selection in high school and has made significant progress as a reliever for WIU. Warkentein has already notched three saves in relief and 34 strikeouts in his 35 innings this season. He has posted an ERA of 4.11 after moving into a starting role.
Mike YaSenka (RHP/JR) transferred to EIU after a sophomore season for Chesapeake College in which he led the Skipjacks with ten wins and 84 innings in 19 appearances. Showing terrific velocity, the Franklin, PA native earned a spot with the Panthers by striking out 131 batters and posting a 3.00 ERA. With 50 strikeouts against only eight walks, YaSenka is off to a solid start as the Panthers begin play in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The 2019 season is presented by Port Washington State Bank with the home opener set for May 30th at 6:35pm against the Wisconsin Woodchucks. Season and group tickets are currently on sale with single game tickets available for purchase on April 27.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Chinooks as your favorite team.
