Madison, Wis. – On Friday morning, the Madison Mallards had eight players selected for the 2018 Northwoods League All-Star game. The Mallards will be sending the most players to Kalamazoo on July 24 compared to any other team in the Northwoods League. The Mallards coaching staff of Donnie Scott, Matt LaMothe and Chance Sugg will coach the South Division team after the Mallards won the first half title.
Jake Randa (NW Florida State) – Mallards utility man Jake Randa was named to the All-Star team after leading the division in RBI for the majority of the summer. Randa has a division-leading 36 RBI and is currently batting .331 while posting four home runs and totaling a team-high 17 doubles. Randa has played 43 games for the Mallards and has gotten on base at a .396 clip.
Tyler Plantier (Richmond) – Third baseman Tyler Plantier is heading to Kalamazoo after pacing the NWL in home runs all summer. Plantier currently has ten bombs and has knocked in 36 runs while holding a .313 average. Plantier owns an impressive .962 OPS and has played in 42 games this summer for the Mallards.
Trevor Schwecke (UW-Milwaukee) – Middle infielder Trevor Schwecke has been on fire since the middle of June and has earned a spot in the All-Star game. Schwecke has hit in 28 of his last 29 games and currently has a .331 batting average while he also leads the team in stolen bases with 15. Schwecke ripped a pair of doubles in the Mallards win over Lakeshore last night.
Drew Campbell (Louisville) – Outfielder Drew Campbell has earned a spot in Kalamazoo after a strong summer with the Mallards. Campbell has been effective in the Madison leadoff spot as he is hitting .318 through 129 at bats this season. Campbell has also made a number of spectacular plays in the Madison outfield.
Trace Norkus (North Florida) – Closer Trace Norkus has been electric out of the Madison bullpen this summer and has earned an All-Star spot. Norkus has a league-leading ten saves this season and has allowed only one run through 19.2 innings of work while striking out 26. Norkus has a 2-1 record and a 0.45 ERA. Norkus has held opponents to just a 4-for-47 clip in situations with runners on base.
Carson Ragsdale (South Florida) – Reliever Carson Ragsdale has earned an All-Star spot after posting 2.03 ERA out of the bullpen thus far. Ragsdale has given up multiple runs in only one of his appearances and has held opponents to a .188 clip. Ragsdale has struck out 29 batters in 17.2 innings of work while walking only ten men.
Dalton Wiggins (Marietta) – Starting pitcher Dalton Wiggins will be heading to Kalamazoo after posting a 4-1 record with a 1.63 ERA so far this summer. Wiggins has allowed earned runs in only two of his starts and has kept opponents to a .174 batting average against him this season. Wiggins has walked only six over 33.0 innings this summer.
The game is set for July 24 in Kalamazoo, MI and will feature a Home Run Derby prior to the contest between the North and South Divisons. For the official Northwoods League release that includes All-Star Game details and full rosters, click here.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate 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 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via theNorthwoods League portal. For more information, visitwww.mallardsbaseball.comor download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Mallards as your favorite team.
