Madison, WI. June 10, 2014 – At the close of the 2014 MLB Draft, fourteen Mallards alumni had their names called by thirteen different Major League teams, two of them being drafted on the first night, and four more between the fourth and seventh rounds.

Nick Howard, a junior right handed pitcher and infielder at the University of Virginia was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 2014 Draft with the 19th pick. Howard, a 6’3”, 215-pound junior out of Olney, Maryland played in 51 games with the Mallards, batting .292 with 57 hits, six home runs and 28 RBI.

Howard hit .261 with the Cavaliers this year with 40 hits, one home run and 20 RBI. He also appeared in 27 games as a pitcher, holding a 2.15 ERA in 29.1 innings pitched, giving up eight runs on 19 hits and striking out 50 batters.

Derek Fisher, a 6’3”, 207-pound outfielder from Rexmont, Pennsylvania was drafted by the Houston Astros in the Competitive Balance Round A with the 37th overall pick.

Fisher, also a junior at the University of Virginia, played in 51 games with the 2012 Mallards and hit .315 with eight home runs, 58 hits and 36 RBI. He batted .288 with the Cavaliers this year, recording 40 hits, three home runs and 40 RBI.

Taylor Gushue, a 6’2”, 190-pound catcher out of Boca Raton, Florida, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 4th round with the 131st overall pick. Gushue played in 21 games with the 2012 Mallards, hitting .250 with 16 hits and 14 RBI in 64 at bats.

The junior at the University of Florida batted .316 this year and led the team with 49 RBI, 16 doubles and 11 sacrifice flies while homering six times. He was also a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top catcher.

Infielder Jose Trevino, a junior at Oral Roberts was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the sixth round with the 186th pick. The 5’11”, 195-pound Corpus Christi, Texas product hit .205 in 22 games for the 2012 Mallards, finishing with four home runs and 14 RBI. His season with the Mallards was cut short when he went on to play for Team USA.

Trevino hit .359 for the Golden Eagles this year, leading the team with ten home runs, 43 RBI and was tied for the team lead in hits with 70.

Brock Stewart, a 6’4”, 195-pound pitcher and third baseman at Illinois State University, was drafted in the sixth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 189th pick. Stewart, originally from Normal, Illinois, played in 30 games as an infielder with the 2013 championship team, batting .298 with 31 hits, 11 RBI and 19 runs in 30 games.

This year as a senior for the Redbirds, he was 3-2 on the mound with a 2.36 ERA in 11 games, striking out 30 in 26.2 innings of work. At third base, Stewart played in 45 games, hitting .238 with 39 hits, four home runs and 29 RBI.

Outfielder Drew Weeks, another member of the 2013 championship team, was taken in the seventh round with the 203rd pick by the Colorado Rockies. The 6’2”, 180-pound Weeks batted .310 for the Mallards last year and led the team with 81 hits, ten home runs and 67 RBI in 61 games.

This season for North Florida, Weeks was first on the team with 95 hits, 52 runs, and four triples and was second behind current Mallards infielder Trent Higginbothem with 38 RBI.  He also led the nation in batting average at .430.

Below is a full list of Mallards drafted in 2014.

 

 

The Mallards play at the “Duck Pond” tonight against the Lakeshore Chinooks at 7:05 pm. It is Ho-Chunk Gaming Night and will feature a Ho-Chunk Plinko Board and Ho-Chunk Playing Card Giveaway in the Great Dane Duck Blind. It is also Valpak Great Outdoors Night.

Mallards single game tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, log on to MallardsBaseball.com, call 608-246-4277, or stop 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  via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information, visit MallardsBaseball.com.