MANKATO, MN—The Mankato MoonDogs, a member of the Northwood’s League, are excited to announce the addition of four more players to their 2016 roster. Aiden McMahan, Rend Lake Junior College, Nate Jones, Northwestern State University, Drew Fearing, North Dakota State University, and Marcus Pingleton, Heartland Community College, will all be joining the MoonDogs this summer.

Nate Jones, RHP, is a freshman at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, who will be coming up to Mankato for the 2016 summer. As a senior at Loyola College Prep School in Shreveport, Louisiana, Jones posted a 6-2 record with a 2.76 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 66 innings, earning him All-City and All-State honors. He was also active at the plate, hitting .309 with 23 RBIs to go along with just as many runs scored. Jones was a three-year letter winner at Loyola and was an All-District selection all three of those years.

So far for the Demons, Jones has appeared in 20 games out of the ‘pen while posting a 3.47 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched. His record currently stands at 2-2 and he has saved 5 games for Northwestern State as well. In his Demon debut, Jones pitched a career-high 3.2 innings, not allowing a run, while striking out four and earning the W for Northwestern State.

Aiden McMahan is a catcher joining the MoonDogs from Rend Lake JC as a sophomore. This season for the Warriors, McMahan was named to the Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) All-Conference team. He earned that honor by batting .389 with two homeruns, 38 RBIs and 44 runs scored in 53 games. McMahan’s 75 hits this season also included 17 doubles and two triples, helping his slugging percentage reach .528 to go along with a .454 on-base percentage.

Another acquisition the MoonDogs have made includes Marcus Pingleton, a speedy outfielder playing for the Heartland Hawks, a community college in Normal, Illinois. In 46 games for the Hawks this season, Pingleton has hit .385 with seven homeruns, 48 RBIs and 59 runs scored. He has also managed to steal 38 bases while only being throw out once, best on the team. Pingleton, a native of Kokomo, Indiana, has signed on to play ball with the University of Central Missouri next spring.

The MoonDogs’ have also added a Minnesotan to their 2016 roster. Drew Fearing, a sophomore infielder currently playing at North Dakota State University, graduated from Osakis High School, where he was a four-year letter-award winner in baseball, having hit over .400 all four years. As a junior, Fearing’s team were state runner-ups after going 20-3, in that season Fearing was named All-State as well as All-State Academic.

As a freshman for the Bison, Fearing appeared in 34 games, 32 starts, and hit .276 with 24 runs and nine stolen bases, most on the team. Improving from a year ago, this season Fearing has appeared in 53 games, all starts, and has hit .327 with 41 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. Fearing has already spent one summer in the Northwood's League, in 2015 he was a member of the Alexandria Blue Anchors. With the Blue Anchors, Fearing appeared in 39 games, hitting .257 while scoring 26 runs and driving in 13 RBIs.

The MoonDogs’ home opener is scheduled for Friday, June 3rd at 7:05 p.m. against the Rochester Honkers at Franklin Rogers Park. Season and single game tickets are now on sale, call 507-625-7047 or visit the MoonDogs’ office at 1221 Caledonia Street in Mankato for more information.

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The Northwood’s League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The
 23-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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 150 Northwoods League players
have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and
MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM)
and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable via the Northwoods League website. For more
 information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com                         

The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2016, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.mankatomoondogs.com