Native Wisconsinites Stay Home to Play for Rapids

Schulfer is entering his freshman season at UW-Milwaukee. He was the fifth overall ranked player in Wisconsin, 101st ranked right-handed pitcher in the country, and 295th ranked player in the country all ranked by Perfect Game in 2021. He chose UW-Milwaukee because of his brother, Austin, who is now pitching in the Minnesota Twins organization. Schulfer’s most memorable experience is his first time touching 95 MPH on the radar gun.

“I’m looking forward to going to the park every day to compete. As a kid growing up in Stevens Point, it was always a treat to go to Rafters games, and I always looked forward to going to see the Rats play,” Schulfer said. “The Rafters have one of the most loyal and best fan bases in the Northwoods League. I’m really excited to be able to play in front of a bunch of fans like that, especially since I once was like them. It really is a dream come true.”

Brady Jurgella is a sophomore at Madison College. As a freshman, he hit .318, four homers, 27 RBIs and had a 1.000% fielding percentage in 77 fielding chances. Jurgella was ranked by Perfect Game as the sixth shortstop and 27th player in Wisconsin in the Class of 2020. His favorite teams are the Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers, and his favorite athlete is Ken Griffey Jr. Jurgella is following in the footsteps of his favorite player as he will be an outfielder this summer for the Rafters.

“College has taught me to be where my feet are more and live in the moment. Obviously, in the Northwoods League there are a lot of games, so taking it one game at a time will be important throughout the season to be successful,” Jurgella said. “I’m really excited to play for the Rafters this summer. I would encourage all the fans to come out and watch us play because it is going to be a great time at the ballpark!”

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 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’ 27 season, 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 245 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 World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.