SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The Schaumburg Boomers agreed to terms with the first player from the state of Illinois as well as the first with prior professional experience in Rock Island, Ill. native John Wagle, Boomers Manager Jamie Bennett announced today.

Wagle, 24, still makes his home in Rock Island where he starred at Division III Augustana College before beginning his professional career in 2010 with the San Angelo Colts of the Independent United League (now the North American League). Wagle batted .256 in 21 games before being traded to the Rockford Riverhawks where the 5’9” lefty thrived. In 51 games with Rockford, Wagle earned a .326 batting average, collected 13 doubles and added a pair of home runs. A career .267 hitter in two seasons as a professional, Wagle played 15 games for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the Independent American Association and another 20 with the Frontier League Champion Joliet Slammers in 2011 as a reserve infielder/outfielder.

As a member of the Augustana Vikings (not to be confused with the Division II program of the same name in South Dakota), Wagle was a three-time All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) selection, two-time American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region Selection and in 2008 garnered ABCA Division III All-America honors. The first left-handed hitter to join the Boomers, Wagle is the Augustana single-season record holder in home runs (11) and tied the program’s single-season RBI record with 60 during his outstanding 2008 campaign. Wagle also ranks in the top ten in the program in career at-bats (653), hits (243), triples (12), doubles (43), home runs (17), runs scored (142), batting average (.372) and stolen bases (38) and is the program’s career leader with 154 RBI.

Wagle will be plenty familiar with Schaumburg before the first day of Spring Training as he will serve as an assistant coach at Dominican University, which will play its home games at the Schaumburg Baseball Stadium in 2012. Wagle spent the previous two college seasons as an assistant coach working with infielders and outfielders while also serving as an assistant hitting instructor at North Park University in Chicago. During his tenure, the Vikings posted an overall record of 58-27, going 30-13 in the CCIW and clinching a share of the 2011 regular season CCIW title.

Wagle becomes the sixth member of the Schaumburg Boomers joining fellow outfielder Nate Baumann, pitcher Matt Collins and infielders Tyler Boling, Andrew Cohn and Drew Heithoff. All six will be part of a maximum of 34 players under contract when the Boomers open Spring Training in early May in preparation for the Inaugural Season of Boomers Baseball which kicks off on Friday, May 25 when the Boomers take on the Florence Freedom at 6:30 p.m.

The nickname for the male prairie chicken, which was once prevalent throughout the Midwest and the State of Illinois in particular, is the inspiration for the name of the Schaumburg Boomers. The male prairie chicken, known for its “booming dance” used to assert dominance and distinguish itself from other males, is now listed as “vulnerable” on the conservation list. To buy tickets, for more information on the Schaumburg Boomers or to check out the male prairie chicken’s famous “booming dance” visit www.boomersbaseball.com.