Eau Claire, Wis.- The Eau Claire Express and season sponsor Marshfield Clinic are pleased to name Daulton Varsho Player of the Year and Caleb Boushley Pitcher of the Year for the 2017 season. Both players were Northwoods League All-Stars and helped lead the Express to the Northwoods League Summer Collegiate World Series. Prior to the playoffs both players were also named to the Northwoods League Postseason All-Star Team.
In his second season with the Express, Varsho batted .321 with a team leading 15 home runs and 63 runs batted in. Varsho set the new franchise single season record in RBI’s, home runs, and walks. The UW-Milwaukee catcher also led the team in stolen bases with 26. He was named a Summer Collegiate All-American after the season. Baseball runs through the veins of Daulton, as his father, Gary played eight seasons in the major leagues. His uncle Dale, has been the manager of the Express since 2005. The Chili, Wisconsin native is a junior this fall majoring in Education.
Caleb Boushley was successful in his first season with the Express posting a record of 8-2 with a 2.95 ERA and striking out 47 in 61 innings pitched. During a stretch in late June Boushley went 18 consecutive innings without allowing a run. This included two shut out victories. The Hortonville, Wisconsin native attends UW-La Crosse and is a senior this fall majoring in Accounting. Boushley won the 2016 WIAC Pitcher of the Year this past spring after leading the conference with a 1.83 ERA, eight wins, and throwing 73.2 innings.
Season tickets, 5-game packs, and group tickets are on sale now for the 2017 season. For more information call (715)839-7788. Individual game tickets will go on sale May 1. The 2016 season was presented by Marshfield Clinic.
The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 160 former 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 portal. For more information, visit www.eauclaireexpress.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Express as your favorite team.