NORTON, MA- Former Wheaton College baseball standout Chris McDonough '08 (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) has signed with the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League, as he will enter his first full season in the professional ranks after pitching for the nearby Brockton Rox last summer following his graduation in May.

McDonough, a 6-3 lefthanded hurler, will join a Freedom franchise that is based out of Florence, Kentucky, and went 47-49 last season in the independent Frontier League, whose 12 squads are located in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The league kicks off its 17th season when Florence hosts the Midwest Sliders on May 20.

Florence, which is located less than 15 miles away from Cincinnati and sits near the Ohio border, began play in the Frontier League in 2003, and its new Champion Window Field was completed following the 2004 season. All squads in the Frontier League have a 96-game slate.

McDonough played an integral part in Wheaton's national success the last three seasons, during each of which the Lyons won the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In 2006, McDonough got the start in the championship round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Blue and White finished as the national runner up. The Lyons also won NEWMAC regular season titles in 2006 and 2007, as well as in 2004, McDonough's freshman year.

One of the top pitchers in program history, McDonough completed his career holding school records in career strikeouts and complete games while also standing among the top four in each innings pitched, shutouts, wins and earned run average. McDonough posted three of the top nine single-season strikeout figures in Wheaton annals, including setting the standard in 2006. He also shares the season marks for wins and shutouts. During his first NCAA Tournament appearance, McDonough fanned 12 Salem State College batters in a 5-2 win on May 17, 2006.

McDonough went 4-3 last summer for the Brockton Rox of the independent Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball after becoming the sixth Lyon to ink a pro contract. He joined former Wheaton teammates Jamie Baker '06, Mark Brown '06, Chris Martin '06 and Adam Laplante '07 in having ventured into the pro ranks, as well as outfielder Chris Denorfia '02, currently a member of the Oakland Athletics.