The Madison Mallards open the 2018 season at the Duck Pond tonight with a matchup against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at 6:05 PM! The game features the SSM Health phone fan giveaway, a Kwik Trip souvenir cup and coupon giveaway, and the Apollo Magic Fire Show.
After narrowly missing the NWL playoffs last season, Field Manager Donnie Scott returns for his seventh season in Madison with a talented group of players from across the country. With college seasons finishing up, players have just arrived in the area and more will finish out the Mallards roster as teams are eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the upcoming weeks.
Returning position player David Vinsky (Northwood) brings a proven bat to the Madison lineup as he hit .320 with nine doubles and two home runs over 34 games as a Mallard last summer. Also, infielder Nick Schrader (UW-Whitewater) returns for his second season in Madison after playing in 13 games and knocking in 11 runs for the Mallards last season.
Dalton Morrow (Southwest Baptist) is slated as the Mallards opening day starter. Morrow, a sophomore from Willard, Missouri, made 14 starts at Southwest Baptist this spring. He pitched 96.0 innings and punched out 83 while holding batters to a .245 clip. Morrow will be accompanied by catcher Hunter Hisky (Southwest Baptist) who served as his catcher all spring.
Meanwhile, Charlie Ruegger (Stevens IOT) gets the nod for the Rafters. Ruegger posted a 8-3 record with a 2.58 ERA this spring as a junior.
Head to mallardsbaseball.com for more information and to purchase tickets. Also, follow @MadisonMallards on Twitter for in-game updates and check back after the ballgame for a complete recap.
The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.mallardsbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Mallards as your favorite team.
