Mallards sign final six players to begin 2009 season
Madison, WI — May 19, 2009. Santa Clara junior Alex Rivers will be joining the Mallards pitching staff for his second season in Madison, becoming the seventh California native to be playing for Madison this summer. In 12 appearances last season for the Mallards, the right handed pitcher notched a 3.68 ERA and struck out 38 batters in 51.1 innings, going 4-1 on the season. This year for Santa Clara, Rivers went 5-5 with a 4.85 ERA, while striking out 67 batters in 78 innings pitched. Biographies for the five other Mallards the team has signed for the 2009 season are below.
Brad Allen, So., RHP, Elgin Community College
Allen made eight appearances Elgin Community College this past season with a 3.83 ERA. Also, in only 56.1 innings pitched, he struck out 58 batters while only walking 22 throughout the season. This past season, Allen led the Elgin CC pitching staff in innings pitched (56), strikeouts (58), and tied for second in wins (6). Allen will begin the season on a 10-day contract.
Dan Burawa, So., RHP, St. John’s
Burawa sat out this past spring after transferring from Suffolk County Community College a year ago.
Kevin Cahill, Jr., RHP, Purdue
After a strong sophomore season during which he went a perfect 3-0 with a 4.28 ERA, Cahill took a step back this past season, going 3-2 with a 6.46 ERA. In 20 appearances for Purdue this past spring, Cahill struck out 16 batters while walking 24. Cahill will begin the season on a 10-day contract.
Ben Long, Jr., Catcher, UW-Milwaukee
Long becomes the fourth Wisconsinite on the Mallards roster, as all as the team’s fourth catcher. After transferring from MATC after his freshman year, Long has continued to impress. This past season for the Panthers, Long batted .339 with two home runs and had a .391 on base percentage. Long will begin the season on a 10-day contract.
Matt Morgan, So., RHP, Purdue
Morgan joins Cahill as the third Boilermaker on the Mallards roster. In his first full season as a starting pitcher, Morgan went 6-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 11 starts. In 73 innings of work this past spring, Morgan fanned 57 batters while only walking 18.
