The Madison Mallards have announced the signing of two Coastal Carolina University players, junior outfielder Billy Cooke and freshman pitcher and designated hitter Rafi Vazquez. The Chanticleers won the 2016 College World Series.
Cooke, a 5’10”, 175-pound junior from Maitland, FL was a key contributor on last year’s National Championship squad. He started 71 games in center field and batted .324 with 16 doubles. During the Chanticleers journey to Omaha, Cooke had an impressive performance in the NCAA Raleigh Regional as he batted a team-best .412 and had a pair of doubles. He was named to the Regional All-Tournament team.
Cooke bolstered the back end of the Coastal Carolina lineup all season as he posted .339 batting average with runners in scoring position and produced 20 two-out RBI. He also showed talent on the base paths as he swiped 27 bases and in the outfield tallied six outfield assists while making only one error in 70 games. Also, Cooke recorded an impressive 24 putouts in eight games at the College World Series. His 2016 performance earned him honorable mention All-Big South honors.
Prior to his time at Coastal Carolina, Cooke was a four-year starter at Trinity Prep High School where he led the team in stolen bases every season. In his senior season, he led Trinity Prep to a 23-5 record and the Class 4A Region 3 Championship Game.
Vazquez, a 6’1”, 205-pound freshman from Annandale, VA will also be headed to Madison this summer. Vazquez had notable stats both at the plate and on the mound at Bishop O’ Connell High School. He was also named WISAA Division 1 first team All-State twice.
As a sophomore, he was named Washington Catholic Athletic Conference player of the year as he batted .464 with 32 RBI and six home runs in 29 games. On the mound, Vazquez gave up a mere 5 earned runs in 43.2 innings pitched. Overall, Vazquez finished his high school career with 172 innings pitched, a 1.76 ERA, and 164 strikeouts. He was rated the ninth-best prospect in the state by PerfectGame.org.
The Mallards will open their season at home on Tuesday, May 30th at 6:35 PM against the Fond Du Lac Dock Spiders. Group tickets for the 2017 season are on sale now. Single game tickets go on sale Saturday, April 29th at 9:00 AM. For information call the Mallards Ticket Office at 608-246-4277, email info@mallardsbaseball.com or stop by the ticket office at 2920 N. Sherman Avenue, Madison, WI.
