NORTHWOODS LEAGUE ANNOUNCES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 15, 2009
2008 Junior College Player of the Year Signs with Madison
(MADISON, WI) The Madison Mallards have signed last year’s National Junior College Player of the Year, Texas A&M junior catcher Joe Patterson, for the 2009 season. Patterson won the award after leading Seminole State College (OK) to the Region II semifinals and hitting .428 with 28 home runs and 95 RBIs. He was also named a First-Team All-American and received the Rawlings Big Stick Award for his efforts. This marks the second time Patterson has transferred schools as he began his collegiate career at Oral Roberts, appearing in only 10 games for the Golden Eagles as a freshman in 2007. That summer he also played for the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaskan Baseball League and accumulated 15 hits and three doubles in 22 games.
Patterson’s signing marks the first time the Mallards have received a player from Texas A&M during Field Manager C.J. Thieleke’s five-year reign. The Aggies are currently ranked as the 17th best team by Baseball America.
Said Thieleke, “We’re obviously excited to start a relationship with Head Coach Rob Childress and obtain a talented individual in Joe Patterson.”
“Joe is coming off a storybook spring season and I know he impressed the coaching staff with his performance this past fall. From all indications he’s made a smooth transition from junior college to Division I, and we can’t wait to help further his baseball career this summer in Madison.”
Thieleke also points to Patterson’s work ethic and grind-it-out mentality he will bring to the Mallards clubhouse upon arrival.
“I’ve been hearing a lot that Joe is never satisfied with his game and will put in the necessary time to overcome certain deficiencies, whatever they may be. That being said, we look for Joe to bring that work ethic and really be one of the more active leaders both on-and-off the diamond.”
Patterson is hitting .293 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 24 games this spring.
Two Coaches Return
The Mallards are excited to announce pitching coach Jason Immekus and hitting coach Jason Smith have agreed to return to Madison in the same roles for the 2009 season. Immekus enters his fourth season at Jefferson College this spring after helping lead the Vikings to a 35-20 record, a twelfth Midwest Community College Athletic Conference championship, and a second consecutive appearance in the Region XVI championship game last year. His tutelage was instrumental in pitchers Gabriel Shaw (Louisville) and Matt Jansen’s (Purdue) selections as Northwoods League Mid-Season All-Stars for the Mallards in 2008. Meanwhile, Smith enters his second season at Quincy University looking to improve upon a 26-26 overall record and 15-17 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Last summer the Mallards set a NWL team batting record with 333 walks, eclipsing the 323 mark posted by the Rochester Honkers in 1999.
Immekus’ college baseball playing career began at Independence Community College (Kansas) before transferring to the nearby University of Washburn. After college he signed a free agent contract with the Richmond Roosters in the independent Frontier League and played there for two seasons. He then spent the following year with the Kalamazoo Kings in the same league.
During Smith’s playing days at Aurora University he earned NIIC All-Conference honors three times and was named to the All-Region Team twice. In the summer of 2007 he was an assistant coach for the Quincy Gems in the Central Illinois Collegiate League. Jason is the older brother of former Mallards two-year right-handed pitcher Brian Smith.
