FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (23-19, 4-4) travel to Madison to take on the Mallards (20-23, 2-5) in a Wednesday matinee game. Coverage of today’s game starts at 12:20 p.m. before first pitch at 12:35 on the Dock Spiders Radio Network.
TODAY’S STORYLINES
NEW HEIGHTS: On Tuesday night, the Dock Spider set a franchise record for runs scored during a 19-7 win over the Madison Mallards. Their 19 runs bested their previous franchise record of 18, set on July 10, 2019 in an 18-4 win over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. Six different Dock Spiders tallied a multi-hit game, including three from OF Nick Mitchell and C Cole Messina. The three-hit night extended Mitchell’s hit streak to 10 straight games and his on-base streak to 18 straight, both the longest streaks by a Dock Spider this year.
AN AWARD WINNING NIGHT: OF Nick Mitchell collected his second Northwoods League Player of the Night award on Tuesday night after his three-hit, two stolen base performance against the Madison Mallards. Mitchell recorded multiple stolen bases for the second time this year and recorded at least three hits in a game for the eighth time. On the year, Mitchell has tallied a hit in 31 of his 37 appearances. Mitchell was previously named the NWL Player of the Night on Opening Day after he recorded a career-high four hits against Wausau.
THAT’S A LOT OF RUNS: With 19 runs on Tuesday night against the Mallards, the Dock Spiders have now scored 77 runs during their nine match-ups this year, an average of 8.6 runs per game. Over the last three games, the Dock Spiders have outscored the Mallards 41-13, a +38 run differential. OF Nick Mitchell is hitting .577 (15-26) against the Mallards this year with a double, three triples, 11 RBI and a 1.502 OPS to lead all Dock Spiders hitters.
THAT’S (NOT) A LOT OF RUNS: After three scoreless innings on Tuesday night, RHP Luke Vaks extended his scoreless streak to 18.0 consecutive innings, the longest by any Dock Spiders pitcher in 2022. Over that span, which has lasted 23 days, has seen the righty allow five hits and seven walks while he’s racked up 21 strikeouts, including 15 over his last 10.2 innings.
HELLO DRAFT DAY: The 2022 MLB Draft is set to begin on Sunday with the first of 20 rounds held between July 17-19. Former Dock Spiders INF Chandler Simpson is currently ranked as the 88th-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America, the highest out of any draft eligible Dock Spider. Simpson broke the NWL single-season stolen base record with 55 in 2021, and was named the Great Lakes Division Co-MVP. Former Dock Spiders OF Victor Scott (#191) and RHP Derek Diamond (#209) are also both ranked in the Baseball America Top-500 list. Over the six-year history of the Dock Spiders, 20 former players have been drafted, including OF John Rhodes, who was the highest Dock Spider ever drafted when the Orioles selected him in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHING MATCH-UP
LHP DAVIS ROKOSE (FDL) will make his fifth start of the year after he made his fourth relief outing of the year on Sunday. Since he allowed four runs against Lakeshore on June 17, Rokose has allowed one earned run over his last 11.1 innings.
RHP BEAU NICHOLS (MAD) will make his team-leading eighth start of the year for the Mallards. In his only start against the Dock Spiders, on June 19, the righty struck out five over three innings. In his first seven starts, he;s struck out at least five in four starts.
