Eau Claire, Wis. – The Eau Claire Express front office today announced the signing of three pitchers to the 2016 roster. Joining the team are freshmen Edgar Gonzalez and Kenny Varnell from Fresno State along with sophomore Dylan Smith from Weatherford College. The three additions to the pitching staff bring the roster to 19.

Gonzalez is a right-handed pitcher originally from Newark, Calif. He has started all 11 games he has appeared in to start his freshman season. Gonzalez has a 2-1 record, 3.86 earned run average and has struck out 34 batters in 42 innings pitched.

Varnell hails from Moorpark, Calif. where he was named 2015 Ventura County Pitcher of the Year and 2015 Coastal Canyon Pitcher of the Year after his senior season at Moorpark High School. The left-hander has appeared mostly out of the bullpen for the Bulldogs this spring, appearing in 10 games (two starts) and striking out 12 batters in 18.1 innings pitched.

Smith is a native of Southlake, TX and attended Carroll High School. The right-hander is a sophomore this season for Weatherford College. He has appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen this spring covering 22.2 innings. He has had impressive strikeout numbers with 32 over that span.

The Express begin their twelfth season of play in the Northwoods League at Carson Park on May 31 versus the Rochester Honkers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. in that contest, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Season tickets and 5-Game Packs are on sale now and single-game tickets go on sale next Monday at 9:00 a.m. The all-new 5-Game Pack includes a reserved ticket along with food and beverage for three innings for five of the biggest promotional nights of the 2016 season all for only $45.00. All tickets can be purchased by calling the Express office at 715-839-7788 or by stopping at the downtown office at 102 E. Grand Ave.

The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23^rd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2016, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website.  For more information, visit www.eauclaireexpress.com.