Former Catholic Central star has major league dreams
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Rex Morrow dreams big.
The Burlington native dreams so big, in fact, that his goal is to reach baseball’s highest level, the major leagues.
Well, he’s on the right path.
After being part of a high school team that won state three out of four years, the 2011 Catholic Central graduate went on to pitch and play infield for Madison College. In both seasons, Madison took third in the nation, and Morrow was named the team’s pitching MVP in his second season.
Now, he’s taking his game to the next level. This summer, Morrow joined the Kenosha Kingfish, an expansion franchise in the Northwoods League, which showcases some of the best college players in the nation.
Morrow is able to visit family when the Kingfish are in town, but during road trips the players sometimes don’t get back to Kenosha via bus ride until 2 or 3 a.m.
In that case, Morrow stays with his host family, Ben and Anna Bakke, who live in Kenosha.
“We talk and hang out all the time,” Morrow said of his host family. “They welcomed me just like I was in their family.”
The community has rallied around the Kingfish, who play at the routinely sold-out Simmons Field. The team averages around 2,000 fans per game, and it features some outrageous promotions like the human cannonball.
On the field, the Kingfish are 12-8 to start the second half, only four games back of the first-place Lakeshore Chinooks (15-3).
And Morrow is doing his part. In nine starts this season, the right-hander is 3-0 with a 3.09 earned-run average. He has 26 strikeouts in 40-2/3 innings.
Morrow’s first two wins came on July 7 and July 13, when he gave up only one earned run in back-to-back starts.
On Saturday night, he picked up his third victory, a 4-2 decision over Kalamazoo. Morrow scattered eight hits and one earned run over 6-1/3 innings.
The 18-team Northwoods League gives the feel of minor league baseball. Teams play 72 games, traveling around the Midwest on charter buses. Players don’t get paid.
The Kingfish journey as far as Minnesota and Michigan for road trips. It’s all done for the love of the game and the promise of making the majors.
The Burlington Standard Press recently caught up with Morrow to discuss his experience with the Kingfish and his love of baseball.
SP: How did you get a spot on the Kingfish? Was there an expansion draft? Is this your first year in the Northwoods League? Why did you want to play for the Kingfish?
RM: I couldn’t tell you how I got a spot on the Kingfish because I don’t know the details. My coach asked me if I wanted to play for the Madison Mallards or the Kenosha Kingfish, and I said I want to stay local. This will be my third year in the league, but my first time with a full contract. I wanted to play for the Kingfish so my family could come and watch.
SP: How cool is it to play for an expansion team like the Kingfish? How nice is it to play for a team close to home?
RM: It’s really fun being able to play with the Kingfish because this league is so competitive considering it is a lot of your big D1 schools. It’s really nice being able to go home when I can to see my parents and my younger siblings.
SP: How well have you been playing this season personally? How is the team doing?
RM: Lately I have been pitching good but like always it could be better. We are on a three-game winning streak going into the all-star break.
SP: How different is the college competition at Madison College compared to the Northwoods League?
RM: The competition is not different, you’re just playing with different players. Some of the teams including my team (Madison College) in the NJCAA can compete with teams that play D1. At least that’s my opinion.
SP: What have been your biggest challenges playing for the Kingfish this summer? What is the hardest part when it comes to excelling at that level?
RM: The biggest challenge for me right now is being able to stay consistent with my pitching by commanding the zone and just being able to dominate. Being able to stand out with all of these other big names is pretty hard, but I’m right with them. I have had a few moments, but the game of baseball is mostly failure so I can’t let it get to me.
SP: What’s your most memorable moment so far this summer with the Kingfish?
RM: My most memorable moment was when we had a doubleheader against the Wisconsin Woodchucks. I threw a complete seven-inning game and allowed six strikeouts, four hits and one run.
SP: How is the team chemistry? What does it take to gel with a bunch of new teammates?
RM: The team chemistry is awesome. I don’t think it is too hard to gel because you have a team full of players that have the same dream, and that is to make it into the big leagues.
SP: Talk about the fan base. Do a lot of people come to home games? What’s been the most outrageous promotion this season?
RM: The fans are awesome, they sell the stadium out all the time. The biggest promotion had to have been either the human cannonball or the dog-riding cowboy monkey that herded goats in a small trailer.
SP: What’s the biggest advantage of playing in a summer league like this? What are your ultimate goals with the game of baseball?
RM: The advantage is that you are competing with a lot of the big-named guys in D1 baseball so there are going to be a lot of scouts. Another reason why is because you get to play every day, so it’s just helping your game.
My goal in the game of baseball is to make it to the big leagues someday, hopefully soon. And if not, I want my goal to be to help other kids learn and be really good at the game of baseball.
SP: What are your baseball roots? How old were you when you started playing?
RM: Ever since I was a young kid, I always had a glove and a bat in my hand. I started playing when I was 3 or 4, and I have never not loved the game.
SP: Why do you play baseball? What does it do for you?
RM: I play baseball because I am in love with the game. I am a competitive person, and this game can help someone mentally if you can control your emotions. I love the feel of just dominating an opponent, but I also love the feeling of knowing I can be better when things go wrong.
SP: What are you majoring in at college? What is your dream job?
RM: Idon’t have a major yet. And i don’t have a dream job other than playing baseball and getting paid for it. I can work the rest of my life, so I don’t want to worry about that right now.
But if I had to choose, I’d probably be a physical education teacher and become a baseball coach somewhere.
Meet Rex Morrow
Baseball is: the best game that will ever be played.
I am playing with the Kingfish because: it is close to home, and I knew it was going to be a great experience.
Favorite movie: “Act of Valor”
Favorite song: “Am I Wrong,” by Nico and Vinz
Pre-game food you must have: Cheeseburger.
Favorite MLB player: Greg Maddux
Favorite MLB team: Milwaukee Brewers
If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive, who would it be and why? I would have dinner with my grandpa. He passed away in 2006, and I still can’t stop thinking about the man.
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