Kenosha Kingfish | |
---|---|
Information | |
League | Northwoods League (Great Lakes East 2019-pres) (South Division 2013–2018) |
Location | Kenosha, Wisconsin |
Ballpark | Simmons Field |
Founded | 2013 |
League championships | 1 (2015) |
Division championships | 1 (2015) |
Colors | Lake Michigan Blue, Vintage Cream, King's Gold, Cardinal Red |
Ownership | Bill Fanning, Mike Zoellner |
Management | General Manager: Jake McGhee (2013–2016), [1] Rich Marks (2016) Zac Pallissard (2017–2018) Scott Preimesberger (2018-2019) Doug Gole (2019-2020) Ryne Goralski (2020-Present) |
Manager | J.T. Scara |
Media | Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Jacob Siciliano Newspaper: Kenosha News |
Website | Official website |
The Kenosha Kingfish are a baseball team that plays in the collegiate summer Northwoods League. Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kingfish play their home games at Simmons Field.
Kenosha has been the home of multiple minor league baseball teams (Kenosha Twins, Kenosha Mammoths, Kenosha Kroakers) prior to the establishment of the Kingfish franchise in 2013. Fans submitted suggestions for the team's name, and the winning suggestion of 'Kingfish' was revealed at the team's launch party on November 23, 2013. [2]
The Kingfish opened the 2014 season on the road, and played their first home series at the newly renovated Simmons Field on the weekend of May 31 and June 1. They finished the 2014 season with a 41–30 record in the Northwoods League South Division, narrowly missing the playoffs by half a game. [3]
The Kingfish finished 2015 with a regular season record of 48–24. [4] After beating the La Crosse Loggers 7–2 in Game 1 of the Divisional Playoffs [5] and the Madison Mallards 2–1 in a close Game 2, [6] the Kingfish defeated the St. Cloud Rox, in 2 games, to win their first Northwoods League Summer Collegiate World Series. [7]
The Kingfish sat at the bottom of their division for most of the season, finishing 26–46 and 9th (out of 9) in the South Division. [8] [9] The Kingfish also held the 2016 NWL All Star Game with the home run derby being on the Kenosha Harbor, leading to Lake Michigan. [10] 2016 was also the Kingfish's highest attendance in a season.
Kenosha started the year as one of the best teams in the Northwoods League South Division accumulating a 28–17 record. But an 8–19 finish to the year had Kenosha with a 36–36 record by the end of the season. They were eliminated from playoff contention following game #71.
The Kingfish finished 2018 with a regular season record of 41–31. [11] They made the postseason for the second time in team history, thanks to a 28–10 second half record. However, they were eliminated in Game 1 of the Divisional Playoffs by the Kalamazoo Growlers. [12]
Since the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the Northwoods League, the Kingfish played 26 games, all at Simmons Field, against the K-Town Bobbers and won the “Battle of Kenosha” trophy. [13]
This season was the Kingfish's 10th season in the Northwoods League and the first year the Northwoods League started using MLB's pitch clock rule, to speed up the pace of the game. [14] Kenosha started the year accumulating a 17–16 record. But a 14–25 finish to the year had Kenosha with a 31–41 record by the end of the season. They were eliminated from playoff contention following game #71.
Simmons Field got a massive renovation, adding a turf playing surface, and a new scoreboard. [15] The Kingfish started the first half of the season with a 16–20 record, second to last in the division. But a 15–21 finish to the year had Kenosha with a 31–41 record by the end of the season. They were eliminated from playoff contention.
The Kingfish have adopted numerous Identities over the years. Here are the ones they used.
The Kingfish hosted a Home Alone night, which they rebranded to the Kenosha Kickers, a scene from the movie, that included a jersey auction after the game [16] .
The Kenosha Twins were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Kenosha, from 1984 to 1992. They began playing in the Midwest League in 1984. The team played their home games at Simmons Field. The Twins won two championships, in 1985 and 1987, and were Northern Division champions for the first half of the 1988 season. In 2024, the Kingfish honored the 40th anniversary of the team moving to Kenosha with a jersey auction at the end of the game.
The Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from 1943 through 1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. They played their home games at Simmons Field. In 2023, they rebranded as the Comets wearing green jerseys with a white K in the middle and in the hats, a white K, for Kenosha.
King Elvis the First, an orange fish, is the mascot of the Kingfish. Before home games, he rides an ATV from the left field foul pole. He used to ride a zipline down the left field foul pole to deliver the ball for the first pitch. [17] In 2022, Green Bay Packers player A. J. Dillon went viral for doing an oklahoma drill, knocking out Elvis’ head. [18]
Year | Attendance |
---|---|
2014 | 72,838 [19] |
2015 | 82,019 [20] |
2016 | 87,991 [21] |
2017 | 86,291 [22] |
2018 | 84,482 [23] |
2019 | 83,176 [24] |
2020 | 8,255 [25] |
2021 | 67,529 [26] |
2022 | 73,946 [27] |
2023 | 82,350 [28] |
The Chillicothe Paints are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chillicothe, Ohio, in the United States. The team is a member of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Paints previously played in the professional independent Frontier League from 1993 to 2008. The Paints play their home games at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
The Madison Mallards are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Madison, Wisconsin that plays in the Northwoods League. Warner Park on Madison's Northside is the team's home field.
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college eligibility. Graduated senior pitchers are also eligible to play in the Northwoods League. Each team may have four of these players at a time.
The Eau Claire Express is a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Northwoods League. Their home games are played at Carson Park, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The Mankato MoonDogs are an American amateur baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Their home games are played at ISG Field in Mankato, Minnesota. The MoonDogs have been active in the Mankato community with frequent player and mascot appearances at local events and through the MoonDogs Fit Program.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August. Like the Cape Cod Baseball League and other amateur leagues, the NECBL is a showcase for top college-level players, giving professional baseball scouts a chance to see prospective pros playing against each other. Along with the Cape Cod Baseball League, Northwoods League, and Coastal Plain League, it is considered one of the top summer leagues in the country and is a part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. In 2019, the Collegiate Summer Baseball Register ranked the NECBL as the 2nd best collegiate summer baseball league, behind only the Cape Cod League.
Simmons Field is a baseball stadium in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It is currently home to the Kenosha Kingfish of the Northwoods League, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers NCAA Division II baseball team, and a semi-pro team, the Kenosha Kings. It was the home field of the Kenosha Comets of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Since 2024, it has hosted the Kenosha vs Racine High School baseball All-Star Game.
The Green Bay Rockers are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team joined the league as the Bullfrogs as an expansion franchise for the 2007 season along with the Battle Creek Bombers. Before the 2019 season, the Bullfrogs were renamed the Booyah, moved from their original stadium of Joannes Stadium to Capital Credit Union Park, and switched divisions from the Northwoods League South Division to the Great Lakes West Division.
The Battle Creek Battle Jacks are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. All players on the team must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. Their home games are played at the C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan. Their name refers variously to a previous Battle Creek baseball team, the Michigan Battle Cats, to Apple Jacks manufactured by Battle Creek-based Kellogg's, and to a "Jack of All Trades" as someone with multiple skills. Also, a "jack" is another term for a home run, and Cracker Jacks are often eaten by baseball fans during the game.
The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes are a collegiate summer league baseball team of the Prospect League. They play at Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park and are based in the city of Springfield, Illinois. The team was established in November 2007 as the Springfield Sliders and were an expansion franchise for the 2008 season. The Lucky Horseshoes and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.
The Sanford Mainers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Sanford, Maine. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays their home games at Goodall Park.
The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their college eligibility, players are not paid. Beginning in 2012, the league added four games to the season, making a total of 60 games per team.
The Wisconsin Rapids Twins were a Class A Minor League Baseball team that existed from 1963 to 1983, playing in the Midwest League. Affiliated with the Washington Senators (1963) and the Minnesota Twins (1964-1983), they were located in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, United States. They played their home games at Witter Field. The franchise evolved from the Wisconsin Rapids White Sox of the Wisconsin State League. For the 1984 season, the franchise became the Kenosha Twins, moving to Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Kenosha Twins were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from 1984 to 1992. They began play in the Midwest League in 1984 when the Wisconsin Rapids Twins relocated. The team played their home games at Simmons Field in Kenosha. The Twins won two Midwest League championships, in 1985 and 1987, and were Northern Division champions for the first half of the 1988 season. The team was sold in 1992 and relocated to Fort Wayne, Indiana, as the Fort Wayne Wizards after the season.
The Kalamazoo Growlers are a baseball team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that plays in the Northwoods League, a summer collegiate baseball league. The Growlers were founded in 2013 and played their first game on May 28, 2014, losing to the then defending league champion Madison Mallards 6-2. The Growlers played their first home game on May 30, 2014, beating the Battle Creek Bombers 13-3. The team plays its home games at Homer Stryker Field.
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League. Based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Dock Spiders play their home games at Herr-Baker Field on the campus of Marian University. The Dock Spiders won the 2018 Northwoods League Championship and 2020 Northwoods League Wisconsin-Illinois Pod Championship.
The Traverse City Pit Spitters are a baseball team in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league, and began play in the 2019 season. Based out of Traverse City, Michigan, the Pit Spitters play their home games at Turtle Creek Stadium in nearby Chums Corner, Michigan. The team began play at Turtle Creek Stadium in 2019 after the park's former tenant, the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League, ceased operations at the end of the 2018 season.
The Kamloops NorthPaws are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Kamloops, British Columbia. The NorthPaws are members of the West Coast League and since 2022 have played their home games at NorBrock Stadium.
The Edmonton Riverhawks are a collegiate summer baseball team. The Riverhawks are members of the West Coast League and play their home games at RE/MAX Field.
Michael Massey is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.