Madison, WI – Justin Parr, a member of the 2010 and 2011 Mallards, recently concluded one of the most successful regular seasons in the 133-year history of the University of Illinois and was named a semifinalist for the 2013 Dick Howser Trophy, which is given to the top player in collegiate baseball.

Parr’s 2013 regular season campaign included a second place finish in the nation in hitting and a 33-game hit streak that spanned from March 9th through May 12th.

Parr entered the last weekend of the regular season hitting .430 and was .001 points behind Bradley University’s Mike Tauchman for the NCAA lead. After going 2-for-12 in the Illini’s series against Minnesota this past weekend, Parr’s average dipped to .415 while Tauchman went 3-for-11 and finished the regular season at .427.

Parr’s 33-game hit streak was the second longest in the NCAA this season and included 17 multi-hit games.

His .415 mark proved instrumental for an Illini team that finished fifth in the Big Ten regular season standings with a 14-10 conference record. The Illini are currently 33-16 overall. Parr’s 85 hits ranks in the top 10 in the nation and his .484 on-base percentage, 125 total bases, 51 RBIs and 1.000 fielding percentage all rank first in the Big Ten.

His 2013 season was an improvement from an already accomplished career with the Illini. During his sophomore season in 2011, Parr won the Big Ten batting title by hitting a remarkable .411 in Big Ten play. That season, he was also named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team after hitting .429 (6-for-14) with a double, a pair of RBIs and three runs scored. Overall, he hit .317 on the year and had 32 RBIs.

During his junior season in 2012, Parr started all 53 games in left field and hit .290 with three home runs and 38 RBIs. He also stole seven bases and was named to the Third-Team All-Big Ten team.

Parr hit .296 with three home runs and 25 RBIs for the Mallards in 2011. He tallied 61 hits, which was good for second on the team, and led the team in doubles with 16.

Parr joined the 2010 Mallards team late in the summer and hit .256 (10-for-39) with four RBIs.

Parr’s older brother Josh also played for the Mallards in 2010 and hit .307 with one home run and 28 RBIs. His 21 stolen bases ranked second on the team. He was also named to the South Division All Star team that season. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 12th round of the 2011 MLB Draft from the University of Illinois and spent the 2012 season with the Low-A Yakima Bears and Single-A South Bend Silver Hawks. He had four at-bats for the Diamondbacks this past spring training and notched a pair of hits.

The Mallards will host their season opener against the Eau Claire Express on May 29th at 7:05 pm at the “Duck Pond.” Single-game tickets are on-sale now.

The Madison Mallards are part of the 16-team Northwoods League. The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America. In 2013, the Northwoods League will celebrate its 20th season.