The Madison Mallards have announced that Field Manager Donnie Scott will return for his fourth season. Scott, who led the Mallards to the playoffs in 2015, has a career record of 127-91 in Madison.
We spoke with Donnie over the phone about what he's most looking forward to about coming back to Madison for a fourth year.
The Mallards fell just short of the 2015 Summer Collegiate World Series, losing to the Kenosha Kingfish in the South Division Championship Game. “I thought we had a really good team,” said Scott when asked about last season. “We came up just short and I still have a pit in my stomach about it.” Coming into 2016, Scott’s goal is to not only win the division but to bring a third Northwoods League title back to Madison.
He knows that in order to win the championship, he will need to create a winning team, beginning with commorade in the clubhouse.
Scott has a very impressive resume with an overall record of 170-117 in the Northwoods League, winning two Summer Collegiate World Series Championships, with his most recent in 2013 with the Mallards. Scott won his first championship in 2011 with the Battle Creek Bombers, where he was also named NWL Manager of the Year. Scott will look to add his third title in 2016. “This league is a blast. It has such a unique feeling and it’s definitely the most fun form of baseball.” He's hoping that Mallards fans will come out and support the team in 2016 and have a great time at the ballpark.
Scott was a second round selection of the Texas Rangers in the 1979 amateur draft. He spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues with the Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Cincinnati Reds between 1983 and 1991. After retiring in 1991, Scott accepted a coaching position in the Reds organization that led to roles as a Manager, Field Coordinator, Catching Coordinator and Instructor over 17 seasons.
Scott spent five seasons with the Rookie level Billings Mustangs (Montana), where he guided the Mustangs to four league championships. He returned to managing the Gulf Coast (Rookie) Reds after spending three seasons as Field Coordinator. He went on to have two tenures with Class A Dayton Dragons (Ohio), where he led the Dragons to the playoffs four out of five seasons.
In between his stints with the Dragons, Scott managed one season at High A Sarasota (Florida). Scott was named Manager of the Year in the Pioneer League in 1992 and Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball Weekly in 1994. Scott has also managed two Midwest League All-Star games and has a career record of 689-569 (.548) in the minor leagues.
Scott, 54, resides with his wife Debbie in Pinellas Park, Florida and has two children, son David and daughter Dana.
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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), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit MallardsBaseball.com.
