Madison, WI – June 8, 2012. 14 former Mallards and three players currently signed with the team were drafted on day two of the 2012 Major League Baseball amateur draft. The alumni were pitcher Matt Milroy (Illinois), third baseman Stephen Bruno (Virginia), pitcher Rusty Shellhorn (Texas Tech), center fielder Willie Argo (Illinois), infielder Matt Juengel (Texas A&M), pitcher Jerad Grundy (Kentucky), pitcher Ryan Bores (Kent State), infielder Mike McQuillan (Iowa), pitcher Mike Mason (Marshall), infielder Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State), catcher Ryan Gorton (Oregon State), pitcher Jordan Hershiser (Southern California), and infielder Ross Heffley (Western Carolina). Players currently signed with the Mallards that were drafted were pitchers Will Lamarche (Chabot College), Justin Topa (Long Island), and Alec Mills (UT-Martin).
Bruno was a seventh round pick by the Chicago Cubs, Milroy was an 11th round selection by the Miami Marlins, Argo was picked in the 22nd round by the Tampa Bay Rays, Juengel, Mason, and Ginther were all selected in the 24th round by the Marlins, Rockies, and Diamondbacks respectively, Shellhorn and Gorton were each drafted in the 31st round by the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A’s respectively; McQuillan was 33rd round pick by the Washington Nationals, and Hershiser was drafted in the 34th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Among active players signed with the club currently Lamarche was picked in the 18th round by the Twins. Mills was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 22nd round, while Topa was picked in the 33rd round by the Cincinnati Reds.
Bruno played 24 games for the Mallards in the summer of 2010, hitting .256 with one home run and 16 RBIs.
This year with Virginia he hit .370 and tied the school record for doubles in a season with 23. His 54 RBIs led the Cavaliers while his 88 hits were sixth all-time at Virginia for hits in a season.
His slection in the seventh round made him the first infielder selected by new Cubs General Manager Theo Epstein, who put together two world series teams when he was General Manager of the of the Boston Red Sox from 2002-2011.
Milroy made 22 appearances as a reliever for the Mallards in the summer of 2011, positing a 4.13 ERA and recording 44 strikeouts. That season he was named to the South Division All-Star team.
He returned to Illinois in the fall and became one of the top relievers in the Big Ten in his 2012 collegiate season. Over his 20 appearances with the team this year he compiled a 3.88 ERA and had 65 strikeouts while only allowing teams to hit .207 against him.
Milroy excited scouts with his efficiency on the mound, and ability to get strikeouts when he needed them most. With the Mallards in 2011 Milroy led the team with 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings. This year he led Illinois in strikeouts despite being third in innings pitched with 53.1, another indicator of his explosive stuff on the mound.
Shellhorn played the summers of 2010 and 2011 in Madison, making 32 appearances for the club. His career numbers in the Northwoods League were an 8-5 recored with a 2.47 ERA and 129 strikeouts.
In his 2012 collegiate season he made 16 appearances for the Red Raiders, including nine starts. Over his 56.0 innings of work he went 5-3 with a 4.98 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
Argo played 43 games for the Mallards in 2011, hitting .285 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. In Argos senior year at Illinois he had his best season of his collegiate career. His .318 average was second best on the team, while his 22 stolen bases was best on the team. His quality year earned him First-Team All-Big Ten honors.
Juengel played last season with the Mallards, appearing in 35 games and hitting .279 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. He started 60 games for Texas A&M this year batting .292 with 46 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. His selection made him one of eight Aggies drafted this year.
Grundy came to the Mallards from Heartland Community College in 2011, appearing in seven games for the club and making two starts. In his 17.2 innings on the mound he had three saves and 14 strikeouts. He made 16 starts for Kentucky in 2012, earning a 6-3 record and 3.78 ERA while striking out 63.
Bores made five starts for the Mallards in the summer of 2011, compiling a 1-2 record with a 3.96 ERA and 14 strikeouts in his 25.0 innings on the mound with the club. In his 2012 collegiate season he made 16 starts for Kent State, going 9-2 with a 3.29 ERA and 68 strikeouts.
McQuillan was a key piece of the Mallards 2011 team, appearing in 58 games with the team. During that season he hit .286 with three home runs and 27 RBIs. He cemented himself as one of the all-time greats in Iowa baseball history this year, hitting .354 with 24 RBIs in his 50 games with the club. He finished with the Hawkeyes as the program record holder in career singles and second all-time in hits.
Mason, Grinther, Gorton, and Hershiser all made appearances with the Mallards in the seasons of 2009 or 2010 and will look to continue their baseball careers in the professional ranks.
Lamarche was one of three players currently on the Mallards 2012 roster to be selected in the MLB amateur draft. So far in his first season with the club he has appeared in two games, recording seven strikeouts and allowing four hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Mills has been the ace of the Mallards staff in 2012, leading the team with 13.0 innings and leading starters with a 1.39 ERA in two starts. His 17 strikeouts is the best among all pitchers in the Northwoods League.
After being drafted by the Royals Mills has decided to join the organization and will no longer be playing in Madison this summer.
Topa signed with the Mallards but has yet to report to the team after he redshirted this year at Long Island. His selection by the Reds was the first time since 2009 that a player from Long Island had been drafted.
The Mallards will play the series finale against Green Bay at the “Duck Pond” on Friday June 8th. That night fans will be able to pick up LEGO Maynard kits designed by briXwerX studios presented by Zimbrick Honda. The Inflatamaniacs will also be on hand to provide in game entertainment.
The Madison Mallards are part of the 16-team Northwoods League. The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.
