Madison, WI – November 6, 2009. The Mallards have signed freshman catcher Wes Luquette and sophomore outfielder Trey Watkins, both hailing from Louisiana State University, for the 2010 season.

Wes Luquette, 6’0”, 195 lbs (R/R)
Luquette fields a rather impressive prep resume. As a two-sport athlete in football and baseball, Wes attended the same high school (Isidore Newman) in New Orleans as the three Manning brothers (Cooper, Eli, and Peyton), and he actually broke Peyton’s career touchdown passing mark his senior year in 2008. On the diamond, as a junior Luquette was named to the All-District and All-New Orleans teams and he achieved the same awards a year later, while also adding an All-State honor his senior year.

This past June, Wes was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 27th round of the MLB Draft. Prior to that he had Tommy John surgery in February and while it’s unsure if he’ll see time in a Tigers uniform this spring, Luquette will be at full strength for the Northwoods League season in June.

Mallards Manager C.J. Thieleke on Luquette:
“It goes without saying that Wes is a big-time athlete and has the chance to become a very good baseball player down the road now that he’s devoting his entire year to one sport. I think he’ll be one of the leaders on our team this summer as he has experience being in the spotlight and handling pressure situations from being the star quarterback at Isidore Newman High School.”

Trey Watkins, 5’8”, 190 lbs (R/R)
Watkins is a junior college transfer from Louisiana State University-Eunice where he certainly made his mark on offense, in posting new team records in runs scored (95), walks (49), hit by pitches (18), and steals (58). He also led the 2009 team in batting average (.418), hits (94), and doubles (23).

As a senior at Destrehan High School (Louisiana) in 2008, Watkins was named the All-River Parishes Player of the Year after hitting .374, with 28 RBI, 8 doubles, and a school-record 13 home runs, all coming from the leadoff position.

Thieleke on Watkins:
“Trey has the ability to score a run without getting a hit and is a plus-defender in the outfield. From our sources, it sounds like he plays with a lot of energy and has a chance to be LSU’s fourth outfielder. It’ll be interesting to see how his successes at the junior college level translate to facing big-time pitching this spring.”