Esch & Floethe signing moves Mallards roster to 29 heading into March

Madison, WI – February 27, 2009. The Mallards roster now stands at 29 players with the signing of Georgia Tech freshman pitcher Jacob Esch and Fresno State sophomore pitcher Jacob Floethe. Esch (pronounced ‘Esh’), a 6’3” right-hander, was a three-sport athlete (baseball, basketball, football) at Cretin-Derham Hall and led the school to the state title on the diamond in 2007 following a runner-up finish the year before. He posted a career prep record of 16-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 121 innings. He also hit .445 with 13 home runs and 92 RBIs. Meanwhile, Floethe (‘FLOW-Thee’) comes to Madison after appearing in 18 games as a freshman last season for the NCAA National Champion Bulldogs. He recorded 20 strikeouts in 25 innings of work. Floethe also pitched in the first game of the College World Series championship round against Georgia.

While playing at Acalanes (CA) High School, Floethe was the team’s captain his senior year and didn’t disappoint, accumulating 34 RBIs, 14 doubles, and an eye-opening .700 on-base percentage. In 2007 Acalanes was named one of the top 50 teams in the nation by Sports Illustrated.

In Floethe’s (0-0) first start last Sunday, he threw six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and only two walks in a 3-1 victory over the Washington Huskies.

Mallards Manager C.J. Thieleke figures the young right-hander will become one of the team’s starting pitchers once he arrives in Madison this summer.

“A big question for Fresno State heading into this spring is starting pitching and it’s been great to see the coaching staff giving Jake the opportunity to prove himself in the rotation,” said Thieleke.

“The experience he gained by pitching in last year’s College World Series is second to none and we’re excited to watch him improve through the spring and into the summer.”

Meanwhile Esch threw an inning of scoreless relief last Saturday in a 13-3 Yellow Jackets victory over Lipscomb.

Said Thieleke, “We feel very good about the Esch signing and believe he’s going to be an integral part of our middle relief coming out of the bullpen.”

“He’s another one of those three-sport athletes who might actually swing the bat just as well as he throws on the mound. We’ll give him every opportunity to play if he’s successful in either area.”