McCarthy and Comer Continue Mallards Tradition with Cavaliers
The Madison Mallards have announced the signing of Jake McCarthy and Cam Comer from the University of Virginia, the 2015 College World Series Champions. Virginia rallied back after dropping the first game to beat Vanderbilt University in the final round. The Cavaliers are off to a 4-3 start in 2016 and are currently ranked 18th in the country. This signing adds two more to a long list of 2016 Mallards from one of the top programs in the country.
McCarthy, a 6’2”, 185-pound outfielder from Scranton, Pennsylvania is off to a great start in his freshman year with the Cavaliers. He has started in four of the five games he has appeared in going 6 for 16, good for a .375 batting average, three runs scored and two RBIs. Jake is the younger brother of Joe McCarthy, who played for the Mallards in 2013 and was selected out of Virginia in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Out of Scranton High School, McCarthy was selected in the 23rd round of the 2015 MLB Draft by his home state Pittsburgh Pirates. His .442 batting average and three home runs his senior year earned him 2015 all-region honors as well as an all-league selection for the third time. McCarthy was the 2014-15 Times-Tribune Male Athlete of the Year.
Comer is a 6’0”, 180-pound catcher in his first season with Virginia. The freshman currently has a double in his only at-bat in 2016. He was a two-time All-Ohio honoree out of Olentangy Liberty High School and finished with a .444 batting average during his four-year varsity career.
In his senior year, Comer was named OHSAA Division I State Player of the Year. He also earned the Rawlings National High School Gold Glove Award and was a Prep Baseball Report Position Player of the Year. Comer was a three-time First-Team All-Ohio Capital Conference and all-district honoree.
The Mallards hope these additions will add to the long list of Virginia players that have been successful in Madison. John LaPrise played for the Mallards in 2013. He holds the Mallards single-season record for batting average when he hit an impressive .407. LaPrise was selected in the 19th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2015 MLB Draft and currently plays for their rookie ball team in the Gulf Coast League.
Derek Fisher played outfield for the Mallards in 2012, posting a .315 batting average and eight home runs. He currently plays in the Houston Astros organization after being selected as the 37th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. During his 2015 season, Fisher was promoted to Class A-Advanced California League.
Nick Howard was a teammate of Fisher and pitched for the Mallards in 2012. Howard was selected in the first round as the 19th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2014 Draft. He currently plays in the Class A-Advanced Florida State League with the Reds organization.
Current Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman, Phil Gosselin, played for the Mallards during the 2008 season. He started his professional career in the Atlanta Braves organization after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He was traded to the D-Backs in 2015 for Bronson Arroyo. Gosselin has a career .288 batting average at the MLB level in 240 at-bats.
The Mallards will host their home opener on Friday, June 3rd when they take on the new Northwoods League affiliate Rockford Rivets. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm. Single-game tickets for the 2016 season will go on sale at 9:00 am on Saturday, April 30th.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2016, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.MallardsBaseball.com
