Madison, WI – March 18, 2015. The Madison Mallards have announced the addition of two pitchers to the 2015 roster. Right-handed pitcher George Thanopoulos (Columbia University) and left-handed pitcher Josh Pierce (Central Michigan University) will join the Mallards pitching staff this season.
Thanopoulos, a 6’1”, 205-pound junior from Highland, California will join the Mallards for the first time. Thanopoulos has started three games for the Lions this season, tallying 17 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched.
In 2014, Thanopoulos’ sophomore year, he was selected to the All-Ivy League second-team. He tied a team high with 15 appearances, three saves, and seven starts. Thanopoulos finished the season with a 5-2 record, 2.60 ERA, and 40 strikeouts in 52 innings.
As a freshman in 2012, he appeared in 13 games out of the Lions bullpen. During Ivy-League play, he had a 3.27 ERA, and 14 strikeouts on the year.
Thanopoulos was a four-year letter winner at Redlands East Valley High School. In his senior year in 2011, he was named a Citrus Belt League first-team selection. Thanopoulos was also named Redlands United School District’s Spring Athlete of the Year.
Pierce, a 6’0″, 170-pound junior from Minneapolis, Minnesota will be joining his Central Michigan teammate Logan Regnier in Madison for the 2015 season. So far, Pierce has made five appearances in his first season with the Chippewas, striking out four in 9.2 innings and adding one save.
Pierce is a transfer from Dakota County Technical College. In his 2014 season, Pierce finished with a 4-3 record, starting seven games out of his ten total appearances. He threw 45.1 innings and tallied a team high 55 strikeouts and three complete games.
In 2012, Pierce’s senior year at Washburn High School, he had an impressive 12-0 record and 0.41 ERA. In his three year career on the varsity squad, Pierce finished 19-4 with a 1.51 ERA, and 188 strikeouts in 167.1 innings pitched, including seven shutouts.
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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
