Five Express Selected to Major League Dreams Showcase

Rochester, Minn. — The Northwoods League has announced the rosters for the 2019 Major League Dreams Showcase, which will be hosted by the Madison Mallards at Warner Park on Tuesday, August 6.

The Eau Claire Express have five players selected to the showcase. They are Brannon Jordan, Alec Baker, Tanner Kohlhepp, Matt Bottcher, and Brandon Dieter.

Brannon Jordan was also a 2019 Northwoods League All-Star. The sophomore from Cowley College has appeared in 9 games, tossing 20.2 innings with a 1.74 ERA and two saves. Jordan has allowed just four runs in his time on the mound and has struck out 28 batters.

Alec Baker leads the Express on the mound with a 2-0 record in eight games (five starts) and a 3.80 ERA. The freshman out of Dallas Baptist has 14 strikeouts in 26.0 innings pitched.

Tanner Kohlhepp rounds out the pitchers selected to the showcase. The Eau Claire native is coming off a fantastic start against the Thunder Bay Border Cats on Saturday, July 20th. In that game he tossed 8.0 scoreless innings and struck out 15 batters. The freshman out of Tennessee is 2-1 on the season with a 5.00 ERA.

Matt Bottcher is currently swinging the hottest bat of the Northwoods League. The junior from Illinois-Chicago and Northwoods League All-Star currently leads the league with a .411 average and has stolen 15 bases in 38 games.

Brandon Dieter is one of the strongest defenders in the Northwoods League. A Stanford freshman, Dieter is hitting .225 with 18 RBI in 29 games played. Defensively, Dieter leads the Express infield and has committed only 3 errors on the season.

The annual Showcase will consist of a double-header featuring the top players from the Northwoods League who were selected by a panel of Major League Baseball Scouts. The players will participate in a day of workouts in front of scouts which will be followed by the double-header.

The first game will start at 4:05 p.m. and will match two teams featuring a mix of Great Plains Division players. The players on the visiting team in this game will primarily come from Willmar, St. Cloud, Bismarck and Duluth. The home team will be made up of players mainly from Mankato, Rochester, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Waterloo. Augie Rodriguez of the St. Cloud Rox will skipper the visiting team while Dale Varsho of the Eau Claire Express will manage the home team.

The visiting team in this first game will be led by Northwoods League All-Stars Justin King (University of Alabama) of the Willmar Stingers, Zack Gregory (University of Arkansas) of the Bismarck Larks and Garett Delano (Brown university) of the St. Cloud Rox. Delano is currently 4^th in the league in RBI with 38.

The home team in game one will feature Ryan Holgate (University of Arizona) who is second in the league in home runs with 10. Holgate was an All-Star this season and has 41 RBI in 43 games for the La Crosse Loggers. Matt Bottcher (University of Illinois at Chicago) of the Eau Claire Express will also play in this game. Bottcher currently leads the league with a .411 average and has stolen 15 bases in 38 games.

The second game will start at 7:35 p.m. and will be played by two teams of Great Lakes Division players. The visiting team for this game will be made up of players mostly from Green Bay, Kalamazoo Battle Creek, Wisconsin Rapids and Traverse City. The home team will have players from Madison, Lakeshore, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac and Rockford. Mike Ruppenthal of the Battle Creek Bombers will be the Field Manager for the visiting team. Mallards Field Manager and former MLB catcher, Donnie Scott will be in the dugout for the home team.

In the night cap the visiting team will be led by Andrew Morrow (Michigan State University) of the Traverse City Pit Spitters. Morrow is currently second in the league with 44 RBI. The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters have five players on this team. This contingent of Rafters is led by Davion Downey (Baylor University). Downey is currently hitting .347 with 16 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 35 games. On the mound the Rafters will feature RHP Jimmy Borzone (Dixie State University). Borzone has a 1.47 ERA in 12 games and has struck out 26 batters in 24.1 innings pitched.

Four members of the hometown Madison Mallards will compete for the home team in the second game. This talented group of players are led by Northwoods League All-Star Game MVP Justice Bigbie (Western Carolina University). Justin is currently hitting .348 and leads the league in home runs with 12 and RBI with 57. On the mound, 2019 All-Stars, Theo Denlinger (Bradley University) of the Madison Mallards and Jimmy Burnette (University of Illinois) of the Rockford Rivets will bring their best stuff to Madison. Denlinger currently has a 2.32 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 19.1 innings while Burnette has 44 strikeouts in 34.2 innings and a 3.37 ERA.

Proceeds from the Major League Dreams Showcase will benefit the Northwoods League Foundation. The Northwoods League Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves as a vehicle to transform a shared passion for baseball into positive change and support for communities. Of the many needs the foundation may address through grants, scholarships or donations, one ongoing focus will be to view its member communities and look upon the baseball programs they have in place with a harmonious goal of making them all finer places to live.

More information on the Foundation can be found at northwoodsleague.com/community/foundation/

Tickets for the event can still be purchased and are available at mallardsbaseball.com.

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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Currently in its’ 26^th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG), World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS) and MLB All-Stars Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.