Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards have announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Kirby Snead from the University of Florida, and right handed pitchers AJ Bogucki and Chris Oakley from the University of North Carolina.
Snead, a 6’0”, 190-pound freshman from Alachua, Florida will come to Madison following his first season in Gainesville. He has been rock solid coming out of the bullpen for the Gators in 2014. He has a 2.78 ERA in 25 appearances, including one start. He has pitched 22.2 innings and held opponents to a .258 batting average.
Snead starred at Santa Fe High School where he was named to the Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason Florida All-Region Second Team prior to his senior year. He was ranked as the tenth best left-hander in the state of Florida in the Class of 2013 Final Rankings following that season. He was 4-4 with a 1.30 ERA and 77 strikeouts while serving as the teams captain as a senior. As a junior he went 5-2 with a 1.52 ERA and 68 strikeouts in just 59.1 innings pitched. That season he led his team to their first regional playoff victory since 2003.
Bogucki, a 6’3”, 191-pound freshman from Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania will play for the Mallards after his first season with the Tar Heels. So far, in 2014 he is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA. He has appeared in eight games, including three starts and has 20 strikeouts in just 17.1 innings pitched.
Bogucki played at Boyertown Area High School where he was ranked as the 94th best player in the country by Baseball America and the 69th best player by Perfect Game. He was also named as the top player in the state of Pennsylvania and the 20th best right-handed pitcher in the country. He played in the prestigious Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field following his prep career. Bogucki was named the Mercury Player of the Year as a junior and was on the high honor roll throughout high school.
Oakley, a 6’6”, 226-pound freshman from Egg Harbor, New Jersey is also playing for the Mallards following his first collegiate season in Chapel Hill. Oakley has yet to make an appearance this season for the Tar Heels.
Oakley played his prep career at St. Augustine Prep and was ranked as the 32nd best player in the country by Perfect Game and the 62nd best by Baseball America. He was also the 2nd ranked player in the state of New Jersey and the 10th best right-handed pitcher in the country. He played in the Perfect Game All-America Game at Petco Park.
The Mallards host their season opener on Tuesday, May 27th at 7:05 pm when they take on the Kalamazoo Growlers. Mallards single game tickets are on sale now. Tickets are available by visiting MallardsBaseball.com, calling 608-246-4277, or stopping by the Mallards ticket office.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit MallardsBaseball.com.
