Madison, WI – February 3, 2009. Indiana University sophomore first-baseman Jerrud Sabourin joins 23 new Mallards set to entertain the “Duck Pond” faithful beginning June 1. After posting a very impressive freshman season that saw him finish with a Big Ten Conference ninth-best average at .383 with 5 home runs and 53 RBIs, Sabourin picked up Freshman All-America Honors from both the National College Baseball Writers Association and Ping!Baseball. He was also named to the Second Team Freshman All-American Team by the Pro-Line Athletic National Baseball Writers Association in 2008. Coaches and teammates compare his easy swing to that of former Chicago Cub great Mark Grace, and rightfully so says Sabourin. “I think the comparison is perfect. We both hit to all fields, enjoy pounding the left-center field gap, and make the pitcher pay once in a while on a ball we can turn-on inside.”
Hoosiers Head Coach Tracy Smith discovered Jerrud after attending a workout for local baseball potential prospects in Sabourin’s hometown, San Diego, CA, and asked him to walk-on back in Bloomington.
Sabourin is ready to take in the enormous “Duck Pond” summer crowds and experience everything the Northwoods League has to offer.
“To say that I’m excited to play in Madison in front of 6,000 people would be a huge understatement, said the first-baseman. “I’m also anxious to experience a minor league baseball-type schedule that should help me later down the road in professional ball.”
Did you know?
While playing in the USSSA, a traveling baseball league comprised of the nation’s most gifted 12 to 14 year old prospects, Sabourin was teammates with Matt Cerda, whom everyone remembers as being the 4-foot-10, 82 pound hitting machine who struck out to give the infamous Danny Almonte a no-hitter in the 2001 Little League World Series. Today, Cerda is playing in the Chicago Cubs farm system after being drafted in the 3rd round of last year’s MLB Draft. Meanwhile, Almonte, who was later reprimanded for lying about his real age (he was really 14 at the time), is now a sophomore at Western Oklahoma State College after an unsuccessful stint with the Southern Illinois Miners in the Frontier League.
Added Mallards Manager C.J. Thieleke, “It’s exciting to sign a true left-handed first-baseman because in the past we’ve always seemed to find pieces here and there but couldn’t locate that perfect package. Statistics don’t tell you everything about a player but they do give you a good indication of what kind of hitter you’re getting. I think we’re getting a kid who can go deep in the count and can hit to all fields. You have to like his production as a freshman and we certainly hope he has a good spring season at Indiana and even greater season this summer in Madison.”
