Madison, WI – February 12, 2015. The Madison Mallards have announced the signing of two key players from the University of the Pacific. Infielder Jed Sprague and pitcher Vince Arobio will join the Mallards roster for their first experience playing in the Northwoods League.
Sprague, a 6’3”, 205-pound freshman from Stockton, California will join the Mallards lineup this year. Sprague will begin his career with the Tigers this spring, where his father Ed is entering his 12th year as head coach of the Tigers baseball team.
In 2013, Sprague finished his junior season with Saint Mary’s High School as the top run producer in the Tri-City Athletic League, tallying 35 RBIs and 17 runs scored. In 2014, his senior season, Sprague finished with a .283 batting average while adding 17 extra-base hits. Additionally, Sprague tallied 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored in just 34 games, leading his team to finish runner-up in the Division One Sac-Joaquin Section Championships.
Sprague was named The Record’s All-Area Second Team and to the Athletics Area Code roster for the Area Code Baseball games last summer. Sprague was selected in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
Jed has a long line of baseball running in the family. His father, Ed Jr., played 11 seasons at third base in the MLB with the Blue Jays, Athletics, Pirates, Padres, Red Sox, and Mariners. Jed’s grandfather, Ed Sr., pitched for eight seasons with the Athletics, Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers.
Arobio, a 6'0", 180-pound sophomore from Burlingame, California will also join the Mallards for the first time in 2015. The right-hander spent the 2014 summer playing for the Matsu Miners in the Alaska Baseball League. Arobio established himself as one of the top closers in the league and was named to the league’s all-star game. He finished the summer with six saves in 14 appearances, tallying 11 strikeouts and a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings pitched.
In 2014, his freshman year with the Tigers, Arobio took over the backend of the bullpen, where he was utilized as a set-up man and closer. Arobio finished the season with a 3.63 ERA adding 24 strikeouts and a 2-1 record with one save in 22 appearances.
In 2013, as a senior at Burlingame High School, Arobio earned All-Penninsula Bay League honors while leading his team to the second round of the division playoffs. Arobio had a sharp glove at shortstop, committing only 5 errors and turning 9 double plays. On the mound, Arobio was the team’s closer and finished with eight saves and added 24 strikeouts in just 20.2 innings of work.
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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 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.MallardsBaseball.com
