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Northwoods Madison Mallards

College Baseball Playoff Fever: Mallards' Players Finding Success in 2011

May 25, 2011 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Madison Mallards News Release


Madison, WI - May 25, 2011. With the Mallards preparing for their 11th season in the summer collegiate Northwoods League, college teams across the country are starting to finish their spring campaigns. The Mallards are well-represented in this mix, with nineteen current players factoring into championship-caliber finishes. The following list of teams have seen success this regular season and will be sending some of their talent to Madison.

Blackhawk College: Led by sophomores Chris Burgess (RHP) and Jay Golden (INF), the Braves finished their season in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) ranked third overall with a 44-9 record. The team won the Arrowhead Atlantic Conference easily, but were eliminated in regional play.

Central Michigan: The Chippewas finished in first place in the Western Division of the Mid-American Conference. New Mallards infielder Nate Theunissen helped the team en route on to a 29-25 overall record. Up next for Central Michigan is the MAC Championship Tournament, to be held May 25th to the 28th.

Elon University: The Phoenix won the Southern Conference regular season championship behind strong contributions by speedy sophomore outfielder Niko Fraser. Elon also faces a conference tournament May 25th to the 29th.

University of Florida: In a stacked SEC Conference, the Gators tied for first with South Carolina after compiling a 22-8 conference record. Mallards players Jonathon Crawford (RHP) and Zack Powers (INF) both made an impact for Florida this season as freshmen. The SEC Tournament will be played May 25th through the 29th in Hoover, Alabama.

Georgia Tech: Third-year Mallard Jacob Esch (RHP/INF) helped the Yellow Jackets to a first-place tie in the Coastal Division of the ACC. Also held May 25th to the 29th, the ACC Tournament will also feature new Mallards pitcher Zach White and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Heartland Community College: The best team in Division II of the NJCAA, Heartland finished its season 53-9. The team won the Region 24 Championships and will be heading to the NJCAA World Series May 28th to June 4th. Jerad Grundy (LHP) and Zac Zellers (OF) had stellar seasons and will be making their Mallards debut this season.

University of Illinois: The Fighting Illini played well in the Big Ten and shared a regular season championship with Michigan State. Two-year Mallards players, brothers Josh (INF) and Justin (OF) Parr, along with pitcher Matt Milroy and former Mallards catcher Adam Davis helped Illinois to a 25-25 record.

Madison College: The Wolfpack won the North Central Community College Conference with an 11-1 regular season conference record and a 42-14 overall. Behind the strong pitching of Ladysmith native Joel Effertz (RHP), the #7 ranked Madison College defeated Kankakee College to advance to the NJCAA World Series.

Michigan State: "Sparty" tied for first with Illinois for the Big Ten championship, but has a better overall record than the Illini at 34-19. With contributions from Mallards infielder and Verona native Justin Scanlon, the Spartans will be heading into the Big Ten Tournament (May 25th to the 28th) with the number one overall seed.

Minnesota State - Mankato: The Mavericks won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate regular season championship with an impressive 31-3 conference record. Nick Sutherland (RHP) did not play for the Mavericks this season, but he will be ready to pitch for the Mallards after experiencing postseason play as a transfer student.

Texas A&M: In one of the toughest conferences at the college level, the Aggies tied with the Texas Longhorns for the regular season Big 12 conference championship. Led by sophomore pitcher Estevan Uriegas and junior outfielder Matt Juengel, Texas A&M emassed a 38-18 overall record and is ranked 13th in the latest NCAA Division I polls.

Players Earning Post-Season Awards

Jerad Grundy (Heartland Community College): 1st-Team All M-WAC Conference

Tyler Jones (#18, C): 1st-Team All Northeast Conference

Matt Juengel (Texas A&M): All Big 12 Honorable Mention

Josh Parr (Illinois): 2nd-Team All Big-Ten, Sportsmanship Award

Zack Powers (Florida): SEC All-Freshmen Team

Zac Zellers (Heartland Community College): 1st-Team All M-WAC Conference

Former Mallard Adam Davis (Illinois) was also named to the 2nd-Team, All Big Ten

The Madison Mallards are members of the 16-team summer collegiate Northwoods League and will play a 70-game schedule in the new-and-improved "Duck Pond" beginning on Opening Day, June 7th against the Wisconsin Woodchucks at 7:05p.m.

Single-game tickets for the 2011 season are now on sale! Fans can purchase tickets one of three ways: 1) online by clicking here, 2) over the phone by calling the ticket office at 608.316.DUCK (3825), or 3) in-person at the "Duck Pond" weekdays 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. & 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday's. Group tickets, including hospitality areas perfect for company outings are on sale as well.



Northwoods League Stories from May 25, 2011


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