Trio of Infielders Headed to Madison
Madison, WI- The Mallards have signed three infielders to their 2019 roster. Juniors, Carson Johnson (UNC Charlotte) and Jordan Stephens (Miami Ohio), and freshman, Andrew Benefield (Louisville).
Johnson, a 5-foot-9 junior for Springdale, Arkansas, is entering his first season with the 49’ers. Coming from Connors State, Johnson hit .432 in 57 games during his sophomore season, scoring 90 runs on 89 hits. He was also seeing the ball well at the plate, walking 42 times and striking out only 19 in over 200 at-bats. During his current 2019 campaign, Johnson has 14 hits, 11 runs, and nine walks. UNC Charlotte’s next contest is this Friday against Old Dominion.
Stephens, a utility infielder from Parker, Colorado, saw time at both 2B and 3B in his sophomore season. At the plate, he hit for a .229 average with two doubles and nine runs scored in 24 games. In his most successful outing against Arizona State, he went 4-5 with three runs scored. This spring, Stephens has proven to be solid defensively with eight putouts and ten assists and a 1.000% fielding percentage. Miami Ohio looks to continue their hot start to the season on Friday at home versus St Bonaventure.
Benefield, a 6-foot-4 freshman, was a four year letter winner at Siegel High School (Murfreesboro, TN). Out of high school he was ranked 178th nationally by Perfect Game, and the number six prospect in the state of Tennessee. In his junior year, he hit for a .504 average with 42 RBI’s, 42 runs scored, and 12 longballs, leading to his being named, 2017 Tennessee Mr. Baseball. Louisville starts a three game road trip against Duke on Friday in Durham, North Carolina.
The Mallards open the 2019 campaign on May 28 against newcomers to the Northwoods League, the Kokomo Jackrabbits. Single game tickets will go on sale April 27. For all ticket information and pricing, click here. Group and season ticket packages are also on sale now. If interested in bringing a group out or purchasing a ticket package please call the ticket office at 608-246-4277 and a group representative will be available to help.
The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.mallardsbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Mallards as your favorite team.