The Madison Mallards have released their schedule for the 2016 season. The Mallards will open their season on the road against the Battle Creek Bombers on Tuesday, May 31st. The home opener is scheduled for Friday, June 3rd at 6:35 pm when the Mallards take on the new Northwoods League team from Rockford, Illinois, which will unveil its name at a later time. The Mallards play 15 home games in May/June, 16 in July, and five in August. This summer’s Mallards schedule features 16 games on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
The first half of the season will be complete at the end of play on Tuesday, July 5th, with the second half beginning on Wednesday, July 6th. The playoffs will consist of four teams from each division, for a total of eight. The first and second half division winners from both the North and South Divisions will qualify for the playoffs along with the next best two overall records from each division. The Northwoods League playoffs will be August 15th – August 20th.
For the third consecutive year, the Mallards will host the Northwoods League Major League Dreams Showcase on August 9th. This exhibition double header will feature the Top 100 players in the Northwoods League. The players will be voted by and selected by Major League Baseball scouts. Game one is scheduled for 4:05 pm, with game two at 7:35 pm.
The 2015 Northwoods League All-Star break will be July 18th – July 20th at a to-be-determined location.
The aforementioned franchise in Rockford, Illinois will join the Northwoods League in 2016, with the franchise in Alexandria dropping out. With the change, the La Crosse Loggers will transition to the North Division, with Rockford playing in the South. The North Division franchises include the Eau Claire Express, Thunder Bay Border Cats, Waterloo Bucks, Mankato MoonDogs, Duluth Huskies, Willmar Stingers, Loggers, St. Cloud Rox, and Rochester Honkers. The South Division is comprised of the Mallards, Kenosha Kingfish, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Green Bay Bullfrogs, Lakeshore Chinooks, Wisconsin Woodchucks, Kalamazoo Growlers, Battle Creek Bombers, and the new franchise in Rockford.
The Mallards will play their inter-divisional games against the Willmar Stingers and St. Cloud Rox.
Single-game tickets for all Mallards home games will go on sale Saturday, April 30th at 9:00 am. Mallards group tickets and ticket packages are on-sale now. Please contact the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277, email info@mallardsbaseball.com, or stop by at 2920 N Sherman Ave for more information.
