Eau Claire, Wis. – The Eau Claire Express announced the signing of two Cal Bears pitchers for the upcoming 2017 season. Right-handed pitcher Aaron Shortridge returns to the Express for his second season and joining him is a freshman lefty, Jack Wolger. The Express will continue to announce player signings weekly until the beginning of the Northwoods League season.
As a freshman in 2016, Aaron Shortridge appeared in 12 games for the Bears, two of which were starts. He finished the campaign with 12 strikeouts and threw 15.0 total innings. Last season for the Express, the Napa, Calif. native threw 32.0 innings across five starts, earning a 4-0 record. As a high schooler, Shortridge had a career 1.80 ERA and set a school record with 215 strikeouts.
Jack Wolger joins the Express as the first LHP announced for 2017. The Folson, Calif. native attended Jesuit High School and earned a spot on second team All-State, first team All-City, All-Metro, and All-Delta River League. He was also named to the IMG National Classic All-Tournament Team and earned the team’s Most Outstanding Pitcher honors. As a senior, Wolger went 7-2 on the bump with a 1.26 ERA, throwing 56 innings and only allowed 10 earned runs.
“Aaron is a returner from our team last year that was very impressive with great composure on the mound,” said Dale Varsho on Shortridge. “I am expecting he will be stronger and even better this summer.”
Varsho continued, “As a true freshman Wolger has received some innings at that's huge for us in the summer. He will be very important for us coming out of the bullpen and hopefully spot start."
The Express begin season number 13 in the Northwoods League on May 30 as they travel to Bismarck, N.D. for the inaugural series for the Bismarck Larks. They continue to Willmar to take on the Stingers for a two-game set before opening their home schedule at Carson Park on Saturday, June 3 versus the Mankato MoonDogs. First pitch of the home opener will be at 7:05 p.m. and the game will be followed by a fireworks show. Purchase your 5-Game Packs, including a reserved seat and unlimited food and beverage, online by clicking here or by contacting the Express office at 715-839-7788 or 102 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Eau Claire. Single-game tickets go on sale May 1.
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 two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS),two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). 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.