The Madison Mallards are a collegiate summer baseball team based in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

that plays in the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college el ...

Warner Park Warner Park is a community park on the northeast side of Madison, Wisconsin near Lake Mendota. Warner Park is also the home to the Madison Mallards baseball team, a member of the Northwoods League. Its stadium, nicknamed the "Duck Pond", was ...

on Madison’s North side is the team's home field.

History

The history of minor league baseball in Madison begins with the early success of the

Madison Muskies The Madison Muskies were a Class A minor league baseball team that played in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1993, the team relocated to Comstock Park, Michigan and became today's West Michigan Whitecaps. The Mu ...

. A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

Oakland A's affiliate, the Muskies were competitive and gained a healthy following in the years following their 1982 origins. Unfortunately by 1993 the crowds had declined and the Muskies became less profitable. In 1994 the Muskies were replaced for a single season by the St Louis affiliate, Madison Hatters. 1996 began the five-year stint of the independent Madison Black Wolf, but once again low attendance and little interest plagued the team and they were forced to move to a more profitable community. In 2001, area businessman Steve Schmitt introduced the Madison Mallards to Warner Park. The Mallards joined the

, which features amateur college players playing summer ball during their off-season. On October 17, 2019, the pro shop had significant damage done to it by a suspicious fire and the police investigated it as arson. There was an estimated $150,000 in damages.

Success

The Mallards made it to the playoffs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015, and 2016. They have made four Northwoods League Championship Series appearances, which resulted in runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2008. They won the Northwoods League championship in 2004 and 2013.

Ownership

In 2014, the Mallards ownership group created Big Top Baseball. Big Top Baseball is a leader in summer collegiate baseball, operating four Northwoods League franchises in the state of Wisconsin. Big Top Baseball owns and operates the Madison Mallards, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Kenosha Kingfish, and Green Bay Bullfrogs.

Stadium

Warner Park, built in 1982, currently seats 6,750 people.

Dimensions

The playing surface of the field is mainly grass, and the dimensions from home plate are 308 1/3 feet to left field, 380 feet to center field and 290 2/3 feet to right field. The 440-square-foot scoreboard, installed in 2013, is located in left center field. 14 flat screen televisions can be found throughout the stadium. There is a children's playground and picnic seating close to the foul lines in left field.

Attendance

The Mallards routinely lead the nation in attendance among collegiate summer baseball teams, averaging over 6,308 fans per game in 2017 and 6,249 in 2018.

Duck Blind

The club offers a promotion called the Duck Blind, a group of seats in right field which cost up to $41 and include unlimited food, soda, and beer. In 2018, the Duck Blind underwent a $1 million renovation.

Gallery

File:Madison Mallards v Duluth Huskies.jpg File:Madison Mallards Opening Day (0602).jpg File:Madison Mallards - Go Mallards!.jpg

Notable MLB alumni

Pete Alonso Peter Morgan Alonso (born December 7, 1994), nicknamed "Polar Bear" and "Big Meat Pete"," is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut during the 2019 season and br ...

Danny Burawa Daniel James Burawa (born December 30, 1988) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves in 2015, and also played internationally for the Israel national baseball team. Early ...

Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Fisher played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 18 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Los A ...

* J.R. Graham *

John Hicks Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economi ...

* Nico Hoerner * Ryan Spilborghs

Notes

External links

Madison Mallards
– official website
Northwoods League
– official website
Stadium Journey
– Ballpark Review {{Wisconsinsports Northwoods League teams Sports in Madison, Wisconsin Amateur baseball teams in Wisconsin Baseball teams established in 2001 2001 establishments in Wisconsin