Madison, WI – February, 18, 2009. The Mallards added depth to their outfield Wednesday, signing Virginia sophomore David Coleman to a contract for the 2009 season. Coleman, who hit .288 with nine doubles and 21 RBIs last year for the Cavaliers, was also named to the 2008 ACC Championship All-Tournament Team for outfielders after batting .385 (5-for-13) with a .500 on-base percentage. He, along with Miami star second-baseman Jemile Weeks were the only two unanimous selections to the team. Coleman made two unbelievable catches during the tournament, the first being a running grab and flip into the right-field stands that made ESPN SportsCenter’s top play of the night. He also made a fully-extended, diving catch in the gap that was the number-five play the following day. View both plays here

Coleman also played last summer for the Saratoga Phillies of the New York Collegiate Baseball League and his .284 batting average was good for second on the team.

The Richmond, Va. native was a two-time all-state selection his junior and senior years at Trinity Episcopal High School.

Mallards Manager C.J. Thieleke points to Coleman’s low strikeout totals as being a great indicator of how well he can handle a bat. The 5’11” youngster only struck out 12 times in 163 at-bats last season for the Cavaliers.

“Those numbers tell us David is a great contact hitter and he’s going to give you productive at-bats each trip to the plate,” said Thieleke.

“He’s a prototypical two-hole hitter and will bring a lot of flexibility in being able to move David around to any of the three outfield positions. The fact that he had such a slow start to his freshman season but was able to turn in on halfway through and finish with a .288 average says a lot about his determination and mental toughness.”

Thieleke also states that Coleman is one of those college athletes any baseball coach would love to have in his clubhouse.

“From the reports I’ve heard from Cavaliers coaches Brian O’Connor and Kevin McMullan, David is the type of kid who shows up to the park every day and lets his hard-nosed style of play inspire those around him. That mentality will be refreshing this summer as we all grind through 68 games in a little over 70 days together.”