By Nate Jelinek – Every summer close to fifty different collegiate athletes get the chance to don a Mallards uniform and compete in front of thousands of fans. For the Mallards staff, including Big Top Baseball President Vern Stenman and Inside Sales Representative Austin Hansen, hand-picking these student athletes is no easy task. The process of sifting through a huge pool of college athletes usually begins in July for the following season in hopes of crafting a championship roster.

Before reading more, check out the audio piece below for interviews with Vern Stenman and Jordan Coffey, an assistant coach at Austin Peay University.

 

At any time a team can carry up to thirty players on their roster. This is comprised of full time and temporary contracts. Players on a temporary contract are guaranteed at least ten days on the team and can play their way to a full-time contract. Usually, the roster turnover from season to season is noticeable as the Mallards typically return only two or three full time players. This means the Mallards staff has a lot of work to do to build a new team every year.

Finding the difference between rosters that had success on the field and those that struggled is crucial for Stenman and the rest of the Mallards front office. The process requires evaluating talent from across the country and reaching out to coaches that the Mallards have built relationships with over the past decade. While the Mallards are looking to build their roster, collegiate coaches are looking to find summer homes for their top athletes. As one of the top summer collegiate leagues in the country, the Northwoods League, and specifically Madison, is a top destination for many coaches and athletes.

Players who have proven themselves against college competition are clear targets for the Mallards during the offseason. The Mallards staff digs into a players past history, statistics, and coach reviews to determine who would be a good fit. “Sometimes we’ll call Major League scouts for a given area and find out about that player and we’ll give that guy an opportunity,” said Stenman.

Occasionally, the Mallards take a chance on players who only got a few at bats at their power-five college program. These players can be a gamble to select for the Mallards roster because of their inexperience against quality competition. Stenman mentioned that the seasons when the Mallards had the most success, like the Northwoods League Championship team in 2013, featured a handful of freshman players who all turned out to be ready for the competition in the Northwoods League.

However, it is also important for the Mallards to consider that most of the top talent in college baseball will be selected in the MLB Annual First Year Player Draft. Players who are selected by Major League clubs and sign contracts are unable to then participate in the Northwoods League. “The perfect profile for a player is a guy who is going to be a draft prospect as a junior, but you get him as a sophomore so they have a little more experience but you don’t lose them to the draft,” Stenman added.

Every season, there are numerous obstacles that the team faces when it comes to pulling together a complete roster. For example, college coaches may place inning limits on pitchers in hopes of saving their arms after a long spring season with their school. These inning limits can restrict the use of pitchers that the Mallards may have been planning to rely on all summer. Furthermore, injuries play a huge part in the success of the team on a year to year basis. Players may nurse nagging injuries from the spring season that will lead to them coming weeks later to Madison than expected. Players also get banged up during NWL play can also be shut down by their college coaches.

Putting together a Northwoods League roster is no easy task. Fortunately for Mallards fans, the team has consistently been at or near the top of the standings since 2003. “It has been an awesome experience learning the ins and outs of putting together a successful roster from Vern. He’s been doing this since 2001 with a lot of success so obviously his strategy works very well,” said Hansen.

Overall, the Mallards strive to build a deep and experienced roster that can hold up over the grueling 72-game season. To see the 2018 Madison Mallards roster take shape, stay tuned to mallardsbaseball.com as we announce next summer’s roster week by week.

Madison Mallards group and season ticket packages are now on sale. If interested in bringing a group out or purchasing a ticket package please call the ticket office at 608-246-4277 and a group representative will be available to help.

Single-game tickets for all Mallards home games will go on sale Saturday, April 28th.