Kyle Gaedele, a sophomore outfielder for Valparaiso University, is hitting .337 with 22 RBI for the Crusaders this spring.
By: Nicholas Grays
Madison, WI – March 23, 2010. This week’s Mallards Spring Baseball Update features four future players enjoying successful 2010 collegiate seasons thus far.
Stephen Bruno (Virginia). The freshman infielder from Audubon, NJ hasn’t seen the plate a lot this spring, but when he has, he’s made the most of it. In only seventeen at-bats, Bruno has belted two homeruns, drove in ten runs and scored nine of his own. In ten games of action, Bruno has also been hit by a pitch on four occasions, bringing his on-base percentage to an amazing 0.600.
Kyle Gaedele (Valparaiso). In twenty games for the Crusaders this spring, the sophomore outfielder leads the team with 22 runs, 22 RBI and six stolen bases in six attempts. His slugging percentage is at .530 with a .337 batting average. This is a year after being named to the Horizon League’s All-Newcomer Team when he played and started in fifty games for Valparaiso as a freshman. Gaedele was also a 32nd round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008.
Reed Gragnani (Virginia). Similar to Stephen Bruno, this freshman slugger who also wears a Cavaliers uniform is taking advantage of limited playing time. Through 13 games with Virginia, Gragnani is hitting for a .407 average, totaling 11 hits in 27 at-bats. The infielder from Richmond, Virginia has also shown a great eye at the plate by taking four walks. In his most recent appearance for Virginia, Gragnani contributed one hit and two runs as their designated hitter in a 7-1 win over Boston College on March 19th.
Trey Watkins (LSU). While starting nineteen games for the National Champion LSU Tigers, Watkins has a team-leading 29 runs this spring. Additionally, the speedy outfielder has stolen ten bases in fifteen attempts. Scoring runs and stealing bases are nothing new for this sophomore from Montz, Texas because in 2009, he broke LSU-Eunice Junior College Records with 95 runs scored and 58 bases.
Stay tuned to Mallardsbaseball.com as we continue to feature upcoming Mallards for the 2010 season!
The Mallards open their 10th season anniversary on Wednesday, June 2 at 7:05 p.m. Single-game tickets go on sale May 8th. But why wait? Select your seats in the new-for-2010 five-game ticket packages featuring all-you-can-and-and-drink, guaranteed promotional items, and a policy that reads, “if you can’t attend a certain game in your package, don’t worry, we’ll give you a ticket to a different game instead. No questions asked. Intrigued? Click on the “Five Game Packs” graphic below for more information and to purchase!
