Madison, WI –April 2, 2010. The Madison Mallards have signed two freshman right-handed pitchers from the University of Arizona, including Wisconsin-native Joel Effertz.

Joel Effertz, Fr., RHP. Effertz graduated from Ladysmith High School in 2009 after being named to the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-State teams all four seasons. He also excelled on the football field where he obtained WFCA first-team all-state, WFCA all-region, and first-team all-conference honors at tight end. Effertz also earned four varsity letters in basketball.

His father Jeff played football and baseball at UW-Eau Claire.

Effertz has yet to appear in a game for the Wildcats.

Stephen Manthei, Fr., RHP. Manthei graduated from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2009 after leading the team to four straight state baseball championships. As a senior, he was 10-1 with a 1.58 ERA while striking out 84 batters and walking six.

Through 16 appearances this spring, Manthei is 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA over 21 innings of work.

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!