The 2007 Mallards had eight players in action at their respective schools last weekend. Highlighting the group is LHP Donnie Hume who is the number one starter at San Diego State University & IF Aaron Bray, the 2006 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Below is a complete listing (in alphabetical order) of the first eight players the Mallards have signed for the 2007 Northwoods League season. Opening Day is Thursday, May 31 at 7:05 vs. the Eau Claire Express.
Aaron Bray, IF, Sophomore, UNC-Charlotte. Bray made the Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America Team after hitting .365 in 2006. He went 3 for 4 with a run scored in Sunday?s game against High Point University.
Donnie Hume, LHP, Junior, San Diego State. Hume played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod last summer and was named to the East All-Star team. He compiled a mark of 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 45 innings. Hume started his team?s season opener at Cal PolyTech Friday and tossed six shutout innings en route to getting the win.
Evan LeBlanc, OF, Sophomore, UC-Santa Clara. LeBlanc is a transfer from Yavapai College where he batted .463 with 4 home runs in helping lead the team to a 46-12 mark and runner-up finish in the NJCAA national-title game. He was named the 2006 ACCAC player of the year.
Randy Molina, 3B/1B, Junior, Stanford. Molina recently received the Lloyd Christopher Award for hitting .308 and leading Stanford in on-base percentage (.427) in 2006. Molina returns to the Mallards for a third year as a career .239 hitter in the Northwoods League.
Bubba O?Donnell, RHP, Junior, High Point University. O?Donnell set a single season school record and led the Big South Conference with 30 appearances in 2006. He went 2-1 in 67 innings pitched with 50 strikeouts. O?Donnell played in the Coastal Plain league last summer and led the league in wins with an 8-2 record. He picked up a save after pitching two scoreless innings in a game against UNC Charlotte Saturday.
Mitch Saum, 3B, Junior, Winthrop. Saum returns to the Mallards for a second year after winning the everyday third-base job late in the 2006 summer. He had 49 hits in 54 games en route to a .288 batting average for Winthrop in 2006.
Joe Spiers, SS, Junior, San Diego State. Spiers is a transfer from the University of Hawaii where he was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2005. He stole 31 of 38 bases and was second on the team in batting average his freshman year.
Tom Stilson, LHP, Sophomore, Stanford. Stilson returns to the Mallards for a second year after posting a 1-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in 23 innings of work. He made two appearances over the weekend, allowing one hit in two innings against Cal State Fullerton.
The Madison Mallards open the 2007 season against the Eau Claire Express on Thursday, May 31, 2007. Group and season tickets are on sale now. Single game tickets go on sale Saturday, April 28. For more information please call the Mallards ticket office at 608.246.4277 or log onto www.mallardsbaseball.com.
