By: Ryan Hill — Public Relations
Madison, WI – May 15, 2013. The Madison Mallards have announced the signing of outfielder Anthony Cheky from Michigan State University and Connor Mason from Rice University for the 2013 season.
Cheky, a 5’11,” 170-pound sophomore from Portage, Indiana, is batting .285 for the 31-16 Spartans this spring while also posting one home run, 10 RBIs and 22 stolen bases, which is currently tied for the Big Ten lead. He has also posted a .348 on-base percentage.
Cheky started in 39 games last year as a freshman for the Spartans. He batted .311 on the season—which was good for third on the team—and posted a .467 batting average in the Big Ten Tournament, which lead to an all-tournament team selection. He also led the team with 15 stolen bases and posted a perfect fielding percentage while playing centerfield all season. His 15 stolen bases were tied for seventh in the Big Ten.
Cheky graduated from Portage High School in Portage, Indiana in 2011 and was a two-year letterwinner. He was named the 2011 Northwest Indiana Times Player of the Year after hitting .486 with four home runs, four triples, 11 doubles, 36 RBIs and 21 stolen bases during his senior year. He also was awarded 2011 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association First-Team All-State 4A honors during his senior season, in which he also served as team captain. He hit .523 with three home runs, 30 RBIs and 11 triples during his junior year and is currently majoring in marketing at Michigan State.
Mason, a 6’3″, 185-pound sophomore from Suwanee, Georgia, is 0-1 for the 34-17 Owls so far this spring. He has four strikeouts and one walk over six innings of work. He sat out the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John surgery.
Mason represented the United States on two separate occasions prior to joining the Owls. In 2009, Mason won gold with the USA 18 & Under team that eventually went on to win the Pan American Junior Championship in Venezuela. He came on in relief in the championship game against Cuba and also saw action against Cuba earlier in the tournament. He finished with a 1.93 ERA in four appearances over the course of the 2009 Team USA season.
Mason also played at the national level with the 16U USA team in the summer of 2008. In his two appearances, he went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and had two strikeouts over five innings. Mason plans to major in Mathematical Economic Analysis.
The Mallards will host their season opener against the Eau Claire Express on May 29th at 7:05 pm at the “Duck Pond.” Single-game tickets will go on sale April 27th.
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. In 2013, the Northwoods League will celebrate its 20th season.
