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Mankato, Minn. — Four pitchers signed to play for the Mankato MoonDogs as the season will be underway one week from today. Matt Arens from Cal Poly will add to our plethora of left-handed pitchers. Alden Huschle from Seattle University, and Nathan Hickey out of Tarleton State are both right-handers who will join the pitching staff this season. Zach Hardy joined the MoonDogs from New Mexico State University, and also has had previous college experience at the plate and first base.
Matt Arens – California Polytechnic State University
Matt Arens is the second Cal Poly Mustang to join the 2018 Mankato MoonDog’s pitching staff. The freshman, left-handed pitcher from Apple Valley, Minnesota has been primarily used in relief for the Mustangs in his first season on the mound. Arens, an All-Conference award winner, appeared in the Minnesota State All-Star Game, named the Apple Valley High School pitcher of the year, all while striking out 44 batters in 43 ⅓ innings his senior year.
Alden Huschle – Seattle University
Our second Seattle University player, Alden Huschle, is set to join the MoonDog’s pitching staff this summer. The sophomore, right-handed pitcher from Snoqualmie, Washington, struck out six batters in 11.2 innings for the Redhawks in 2018. In high school, he was a three-year varsity letter winner and threw three consecutive one-hitters during his sophomore year.
Zach Hardy – New Mexico State University
The junior, right hander will pitch for Mankato this summer at The Frank after his first season with NMSU. He pitched six innings and struck out six batters in the 2018 college baseball season. In 2017, he posted a 3.48 ERA in 31 innings and struck out 32 batters for the Chandler-Gilbert Community College baseball team. In the same season, he also made 191 appearances that year and hit a .361 batting average with two home runs and 38 RBI.
Nathan Hickey – Tarleton State University
Hickey will join the MoonDogs in 2018 after two strong seasons with Tarleton State. The senior right-hander from Granbury, Texas, had been used mostly as a starting pitcher with the Texans. During his senior year, he had posted a 3.54 ERA in 84 innings and recorded 89 strikeouts. In 2017, Hickey pitched 70 1/3rd innings and only surrendered one home run while posting a 1.79 ERA. In his two seasons with the Tarleton Texans, he pitched a combined four shutouts.
The MoonDogs begin the season with a home game against the Duluth Huskies on Tuesday, May 29th, with first pitch scheduled at 7:05 pm.
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The Mankato MoonDogs 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, 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.mankatomoondogs.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the MoonDogs as your favorite team.