Madison, Wis. –  The Madison Mallards have announced the signing of two freshman position players from Stanford University. Infielder Daniel Bakst and catcher Maverick Handley and will both be seen in Mallards jerseys this summer.

Bakst, a 6’2”, 190-pound freshman infielder from New York, N.Y. will head to Madison after the spring season at Stanford. Bakst went across the country to Stanford after a successful high school career at Poly Prep Country Day School. He led the team to state titles in 2014 and 2016 and earned a handful of prestigious awards including; 2016 New York Gatorade Player of the Year, Perfect Game First-Team Underclass All-American, and MSG Varsity’s Tri-State Player of the Year.

Also, Bakst won the gold medal with U-18 Team USA at the 2015 World Baseball Confederation tournament where he played a key role in the team’s 2-1 win against Japan in the championship. Following his impressive track record of success, Bakst was selected in the 27th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

So far this season at Stanford, Bakst has played in 16 games and is batting .298 with 14 hits and four RBI.

Handley, a 5’10”, 195-pound freshman catcher from Lakewood, CO will become a Mallard after his first year at Stanford. Handley played high school ball at Mullen High in Lakewood and led the team to a final four state tournament appearance in 2016. During his senior campaign, Handley batted .461 with six home runs and 33 RBI. The performance earned him First-Team All-State honors and the Denver Athletic Club Student Athlete of the Year award. Prior to his senior season, Handley had a strong 2015 showing as he hit .483 with three home runs while knocking in 13.

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.