Jesse Wilkening attended RailCats games while he was growing up, making the relatively short trip up Interstate 65 with his family.

The 2015 Hanover Central graduate recalled even throwing out a ceremonial first pitch when he was 9 or 10.

About 15 years later, Wilkening has landed on the team’s roster, playing for the first time in almost three years.

Wilkening, a catcher who had a standout career at Nebraska, spent three seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies system, although he saw the field in just one. When the Phillies released him in late January, the 24-year-old didn’t hesitate to join the RailCats in mid-February.

“I signed pretty quickly,” Wilkening said. “I wanted to keep playing, and this is a great opportunity. It’s close to home, of course. It’s a win-win.

“It’s pretty cool.”

Not only did Wilkening miss the canceled 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, along with every affiliated minor-league player, but he also was sidelined for the 2019 season.

Wilkening suffered from a right shoulder injury. He also was going back and forth between the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater and Northwest Indiana, as his father underwent and recovered from open-heart surgery.

Wilkening has gained perspective through it all.

“It’s definitely been an eye-opening experience for everybody this last year,” he said. “One year is gone of your life, especially as a player. I lost my 23-year-old season, and you can’t get that back.

“You take it for granted — I definitely did. As I look back on it, I need to enjoy every moment. Who cares if something goes wrong in the game? At least you’re playing because last year we didn’t get a chance to play.

“I’d rather have bad things happen on the field than nothing happen on the field at all. Hopefully everything’s positive from here on out. I definitely have a different mentality.”

Wilkening “really fits the profile” of what RailCats manager Greg Tagert seeks — a player whose ultimate career goal is to reach the major leagues but who also is young enough to play multiple seasons in Gary as part of a “core group,” Tagert said.

The team’s league, the American Association, now is an MLB Partner League following restructuring of the affiliated minor leagues. So when Wilkening was let go by the Phillies, the feeling was mutual to act expeditiously.

“Jesse Wilkening was a big signing for us,” Tagert said. “My first thought was, ‘OK, he’s local.’ But that’s never a dealmaker for us. But his background, playing in Lincoln at the University of Nebraska, having a good college career, I thought, ‘If we’re going to do this, we better get on it quick.’

“He’s very talented. Because of the pandemic, he probably didn’t get an opportunity to go back, but he has a very high upside in his career. And he’s very motivated in his career.”

Wilkening graduated from Hanover Central with a state-record 206 hits, a .516 batting average, 20 home runs and 156 RBIs. As a senior, the two-time all-state selection hit .495 with eight homers and 38 RBIs.

The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Wilkening in the 28th round in 2015, but he opted to go to Nebraska. He broke out with the Cornhuskers as a junior in 2018, hitting .372 with nine homers and 56 RBIs.

He was a second-team all-conference pick that season, leading Nebraska and finishing fourth in the Big Ten in both batting average and RBIs. The Phillies then drafted Wilkening in the 14th round.

Tagert takes pride in the RailCats’ typically strong defense, particularly in center field and at catcher. Wilkening has those tools.

“He adds a dynamic with his offense,” Tagert said. “His numbers in college were pretty impressive. But he certainly fulfills the profile of the defense being at the level we expect.”

Despite the long layoff, Wilkening has high expectations. His body feels “rejuvenated,” he said, and he has remained in top shape, including working out at a facility he owns.

In fall 2019, he founded Thrive Sport and Fitness Solutions. The complex in Cedar Lake includes two batting cages and a full gym, as well as a smoothie cafe.

The project was off the ground for only a matter of months before the pandemic hit. Training sessions and lessons have been resuming and building gradually, with his business partner overseeing the operation as Wilkening has focused on this season.

Up until a month ago, Wilkening also was working as a recruiter for an insurance company, for which his mother also works.

“I was getting jobs for people, basically,” he said.

Now with his job back on the field, Wilkening should have a contingent of family members and friends throughout the area, as well as his girlfriend in Milwaukee, attending games as he attempts to advance his career.

“That’s what you play for — to get to the big leagues,” he said. “The only way to get to the big leagues is to get into an organization.

“I’m looking forward to getting an opportunity one day again.”