Madison, WI – February 26, 2009. After leading Livermore (CA) High School to its first East Bay Athletic League Championship in 29 years, Santa Clara freshman infielder J.R. Graham has signed to become a Madison Mallard in 2009. Graham (pronounced GRAM) set three single-season school records at Livermore, including hitting streak (16 games), runs scored (31), and saves (15). Last year as a senior he hit .418 with 20 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .465. On the mound Graham went 4-1 with a 1.10 ERA in 31 innings. After the season he was ranked as the 123rd Best 2008 Prospect in the nation by Perfect Game Cross Checker and 200th by Baseball America. This past summer he was also selected to play in the Area Code Games, Perfect Game Nationals, and the Bay Area World Series.

Santa Clara Head Coach Mark O’Brien describes Graham as being “a tremendous middle infielder with a very live arm and a hard-nosed player who loves the game and is a great competitor.”

Mallards Manager C.J. Thieleke sees J.R. as being an integral part of the team’s bullpen this summer.

“There’s no doubt J.R. has been blessed with a strong right arm and when we combine him with Denny Clement (Texas A&M) and Tony Zych (Louisville) in the back of the ‘pen this summer, we expect a lot of zero’s to be shown on the scoreboard,” said Thieleke.

“Graham’s been known to hit 94 mph on the radar gun with a three-quarter arm angle that becomes un-hittable when he’s consistently throwing strikes. He alone is a great reason why Mallards fans should stick around to watch the very end of ballgames this season.”