Local talent Bryce Mallory signed a letter of intent Tuesday to continue his baseball career at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan.
A 2007 graduate of Weed High School and 2009 Shasta College graduate, Mallory received a half-ride athletic/academic scholarship from the University where he will study Sports Management and play baseball.
At Weed High, Mallory helped the Cougars to the second round of the NSCIF playoffs his junior season, then made the All-Shasta Cascade League team his senior season after finishing as the top pitcher and hitter for the Cougars.
Mallory went to College of the Siskiyous and redshirted on the baseball team before transferring to Shasta College in the Fall of 2008.
At Shasta he was a key contributor for a Knights squad that made back-to-back appearances in the Northern California Community College Regional Playoffs.
In 2009, he finished with 2 saves in 10 appearances for the Knights, posting an ERA of 5.82 over 17 innings pitched.
This past season Mallory had 15 appearances out of the bullpen for the Knights and posted a 2-0 record in 26.2 innings pitched.
Mallory said the highlight of his junior college experience was getting a win over College of the Siskiyous this past season.
His numbers caught the attention of the mid-west schools and soon two schools were dueling it out to land the right-hander. “It felt pretty good,” Mallory said of the competition. “Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.”
Accompanied by his mother Christy, he visited two mid-west schools that both offered partial scholarships, Saint Mary and Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo.
In the end, he opted to play for coach Rob Miller and the Spires of the University of Saint Mary. “I felt comfortable with the coaches and the area, that definitely helped me make my decision,” Mallory commented.
He joins a squad that finished 12-32 overall last season and a pitching staff that featured only two pitchers with sub-5.00 ERAs.
After two seasons of relief work at Shasta, the Spires' coaches hope Bryce can possibly be a starting pitcher next season.
The Spires are an NAIA Division I team in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The conference consists of Bethany College, Friends University, Kansas Wesleyan, Ottawa University, Sterling College and Tabor College.
Mallory thanked his parents Ken and Christy, his grandmother Margie, and all of his family for their support over the years.
He thanked his former coaches at Weed High, Gene Toms, Martin Nicholas, Kelly McKinnis, Josh Oates, his former American Legion coach Kevin Krueger and coaches Brad Rupert and Frank Bowne of Shasta College.
