Baseball is back in Madison
MADISON, Wis. (BVM) — The MLB celebrated Opening Day today as the 2021 season begins and in two months the Northwoods League (NWL) will do the same.
After a 2020 season that saw many teams opt out due to COVID, the NWL hopes to have a fairly normal season while still following proper safety regulations.
One of those teams that will be returning this summer and playing their first game since 2019 is the Madison Mallards, who will be returning to The Duck Pond on May 31.
In large part due to the strict regulations put in place by the city of Madison, that saw the USL One team Forward Madison FC conduct their season in Milwaukee, the Mallards were forced to cancel the 2020 season.
The missed season would have marked the Mallard’s 20th season in existence. Over those 20 years, the team has become a mainstay for the people of Madison in the summer. In 2019 the Mallards averaged 6,058 fans per game and had a league-high total attendance of 218,866.
That same season saw Madison take second in the Great Lakes west division behind the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters who the Mallards then beat in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Traverse City Pit Spitters in the Great Lakes championship.
It was the Mallards’ 10th time making the postseason and fifth under current manager Donnie Scott. The team was led by NWL MVP Justice Bigbie who had a .346 batting average, 12 home runs, and a league-high 70 RBIs and 152 total bases.
The Mallards will look to continue their history of success in the collegiate summer league with a two-game home series against the Lakeshore Chinooks.
