2007 Season Recap

The seventh season of Mallards baseball was a success both on and off the field highlighted by a record 16-game winning streak and the debut of live webcasting.       
            On the diamond, the Mallards posted a 38-29 record and finished 2.5 games behind the eventual South Division Champion Eau Claire Express in the second half for a playoff spot.  The season began on a promising note as the team swept the Express at the “Duck Pond,” and then won six of its first nine games.  As a microcosm of how up-and-down the first half was, after the team’s four game winning streak came to a halt on June 9, the Mallards didn’t record consecutive victories until the final two games.  The “Ducks” were in most games—in fact, the team was in a league-high 12 one-run games, posting a 4-8 record in those contests.  When the dust settled, the Mallards finished the opening half 16-18 for a second consecutive year, meaning the team would have to finish atop the second half standings in order to punch its ticket to the postseason. 
            The second half turned out to be one for the record books.  Although the Mallards struggled out of the gate, posting a 2-7 opening record, the team bounced back and won 20 of its next 25 games that included an NWL record 16-game winning streak from July 23 to August 10.  The record was previously held by the expansion Green Bay Bullfrogs that won 15 games in a row in early June.
            The team was in the playoff chase up until the last home stand of the season, and eventually finished 2.5 games behind the first place Express.
            On an individual level, a number of Mallards had breakthrough seasons. 
Third year Mallards Junior first baseman Randy Molina (Stanford) posted career bests in batting average (.342), doubles (15), home runs (4), and RBI’s (39).  Molina also became the team’s all-time leader in doubles (32).  His consistent production was a good reason why the team led the league in batting average (.267) and runs scored (371).  Only four other teams in the 14-team league scored over 300 runs.
Junior outfielder and team captain Jordan Comadena (Purdue) had a bit of a hurdle to overcome heading into the season having broke his hand during the spring collegiate season.  Comadena responded nicely from the leadoff position with career highs in batting average (.294), hits (65), stolen bases (19), and an astounding on-base percentage (.453).  His walks (54) and runs scored (54) were both team records, bringing his franchise lead in both categories to (89) and (119), respectively.  Comadena finished his career one walk from tying the NWL all-time walks record.  He also did not commit an error in 65 games.
Junior third baseman Bobby Hubbard (Furman) was arguably the team’s most consistent hitter during the second half.  After hitting .221 in the first half, Hubbard belted 45 hits in the second half to raise his average to .315, good for third on the team. Hubbard quietly posted franchise single-season records in RBI’s (46) and triples (5), while also leading the team in hits (64).

The Mallards were represented at the mid-season All-Star game in Mankato, MN by sophomore catcher Eric Nielsen (Purdue) and junior relief pitcher Bubba O’Donnell (High Point).
Nielsen, also a participant in the home run derby, was one of only six South Division All-Stars to reach base when he singled to center field in the third inning.  During the first half of the season he carried the Mallards offensively, hitting .318 that included a team-high six multi-hit games.
O’Donnell was brought in to record the final out of the fifth inning, and did just that, striking out Mankato’s Nate Hanson to keep the game tied 1-1.  In the end, the North Division All-Stars used a two-run seventh inning to defeat the South 3-2 for a third consecutive year.  The 2008 three-day All-Star gala will be hosted by the Mallards at the “Duck Pond.”
            After the season concluded, Molina and freshman infielder Brandon Wikoff (Illinois) were selected as Post-Season All-Stars for their outstanding production. 
Wikoff had a second half as impressive as anyone in the league.  He had hitting streaks of 16 and 8 games, and recorded a hit in 27 of the team’s 34 games.  In his first year as a Mallard Wikoff finished second on the team in batting average (.323) and third in runs scored (42).
The team also retired former Mallard Mike Rohde’s #9 jersey—the first player to achieve such an accomplishment in the franchise’s first seven years.  Rohde (Illinois), the first four-year Mallard, holds team career batting records in hits (175), home runs (7), at-bats (676), and games played (219).
In the stands, the Mallards drew 209,856 fans to surpass the 200,000 mark for a second consecutive year; a feat no other summer collegiate team has ever achieved.  On August 10, the team eclipsed the one million mark in total franchise attendance when ten year old John Olsen of Elkhorn, Wis. walked through the “Duck Pond’s” front entrance.  A statue of Olsen’s likeness will be on display starting in 2008 to honor the many fans that supported Madison’s baseball team throughout the team’s first seven years.
Fans’ game-day experience was enhanced through the additions of webcasting, closed circuit television, Stoddard’s Smokehouse, and the Midwest Airlines Home Plate Club featuring 130 old County Stadium seats located at field level.  A 200-foot zipline extending from the right field Duck Blind party deck to home plate was also installed for the team’s lovable mascot, Maynard G. Mallard, to ride before each game.     
Mallards baseball reached a mass audience in 2007.  On June 14, the team’s contest versus the Bullfrogs was televised nationally on ESPNU, a channel that specializes in college sports.  Also, thanks to the support of TDS, Sonic Foundry, and the Madison Media Institute, the team was able to offer free video webcasts of each of its home games to anyone around the world.  Fans could catch live baseball action at no cost from the convenience of their desktop computer for all 34 home games.  Twelve closed-circuit televisions also gave fans in the park the opportunity to catch live Mallards action without being seated in the stands.

The debut of “B” List Celebrity Friday Nights was a huge hit with an eclectic mix of appearances by Emmanuel Lewis (Webster), Sonny Shroyer (Dukes of Hazzard),
William “Refrigerator” Perry (ex-Chicago Bear), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and a baseball-playing chimpanzee (Mikey the Monkey).
The Mallards extend many thanks to the first one million fans who helped make baseball in Madison truly “Baseball Like it Oughta Be!”