Mankato, Minn. — The Mankato MoonDogs are continuing to add to their roster as the season quickly approaches. Mankato has signed a pair of Sycamores from Indiana State in outfielder CJ Huntley and catcher Max Wright and bolstered their infield with signings from Washington, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona.
CJ Huntley – Indiana State
Junior outfielder CJ Huntley comes to the MoonDogs from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Huntley plays his collegiate baseball for the Sycamores of Indiana State. Huntley has appeared in over thirty games this season and held a .243 batting average in 107 at bats with a .325 on-base percentage in his sophomore season. Huntley finished the 2017 season with a perfect fielding percentage and one stolen base. He is the son of Chad and Angela Huntley and is majoring in recreation and sport management.
Max Wright – Indiana State
A native of Toronto, Max Wright will take up his place behind home plate this summer in Mankato. The sophomore Sycamore from Indiana State eclipsed the thirty-start plateau this past season in Terre Haute, Indiana and hit his first career home run against the Austin Peay Governors. Wright held a perfect fielding percentage as a freshman and was a two-sport athlete in high school competing in baseball and volleyball.
Justin Mazzone – Seattle
Justin Mazzone is the third of a trio of catchers on the 2018 MoonDog roster joining Wright and Jake Ortega. The freshman catcher from Huntington Beach, California is enjoying a breakout season with the Seattle University Redhawks. Closing in on the end of the regular season in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Mazzone has made 19 starts to go with 39 appearances and is hitting .390 with 77 career at-bats. Mazzone launched home runs in back to back games against New Mexico State in March and holds a .979 fielding percentage.
Nick Novak – Angelo State
Nick Novak will return to Minnesota to play his summer ball in Mankato in 2018. The Stillwater native hit .352 in the regular season, was tied for the team lead for home runs, hitting five shots out of the park, and was second on the team scoring 42 runs. The Rams finished fourth in the Lone Star Conference in 2018 with a 14-10 conference record and an overall record of 33-17.
Kyle MacDonald – Arkansas State
The junior first baseman from Mississauga, Ontario comes to Mankato by way of Jonesboro, Arkansas. MacDonald played for Crowder Community College between 2015 and 2017 while 2018 marked his first season with the Red Wolves. At Crowder, MacDonald hit .343 with an on-base percentage of .440 and a .624 slugging percentage. The Ontario native hit 15 home runs, 21 doubles, and notched a triple in his sophomore season and helped Crowder to a NJCAA World Series appearance.
Austin Bull – GCU
Bull, the infielder from Chandler, Arizona, will join the MoonDogs for the 2018 season. In 2018, Bull had season highs in hits vs. Chicago State, 3, doubles vs. UC Riverside, 2, and runs scored vs. UNLV, 4. The Junior infielder has put in Iron Man performances in his first two full seasons of collegiate baseball, making 50+ appearances in each of his first two seasons at Grand Canyon University and 53 starts in his sophomore year. The switch-hitting threat held a .339 batting average in 2017 that included 74 hits in 218 at bats, 9 doubles, a triple and a home run.
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.
