Malott Signs Professional Contract, Joins USPBL Team

UTICA, Mich. – Taylor University's Jordan Malott began his professional baseball career after making his debut appearance Thursday with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers of the United States Professional Baseball League.

Recently named an NAIA All-American, Malott helped lead the TU baseball team to the NAIA World Series and the national championship game.

In his lone year with the Trojans, the senior led the entire NAIA with 98 RBIs — a single-season TU record — and tied for 12th nationally with 19 home runs, the third-highest single-season total in school history. His .759 slugging percentage is the second-best mark in a TU season and his .519 on-base percentage the fifth-best, numbers supported by 84 hits, 51 walks and a share of the program's top-10 single-season lists in doubles and sacrifice flies. Malott also received his third career first-team all-conference selection.

Spending all season as the clean-up hitter, Malott piled up 23 multi-hit games, including a four-hit, seven-RBI showing in TU's second victory in the NAIA Opening Round. He finished with 53 home runs, 266 RBIs and 65 doubles across a standout collegiate career.

The USPBL powered by Mortgage Matchup launched May 2016 with an initial slate of three teams playing a full 75-game schedule at Jimmy John's Field in historic downtown Utica. Designed as an innovative developmental finishing school for players seeking to make it to the Majors, the USPBL teams are comprised of top-level college baseball players from around the country. The finishing school consists of state-of-the-art coaching, the very best in musculoskeletal training and strength and conditioning programs, the latest advances in sabermetrics and video analysis, as well as a focus on personal development off the field.