Alumni Update Presented by Lakeland University 9/12: The Saints Go Marching In

The St. Paul Saints are back in the American Association Finals, and three former Express players are shining for the team across the Mississippi. Pitchers Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Schlosser, and infielder Blake Schmit have performed all season long for the Saints and will have a shot at claiming the team’s first championship as part of the AAIPB this week.

For the second season in a row, the Saints claimed the North Division Championship with Zimmerman and Schmit contributing greatly in game 4 of the best-of-five series. In the contest against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Zimmerman tossed 7.1 innings, allowing runners to reach second base twice and third once, giving up only three hits and striking out a career-high ten batters.

With two outs and a runner on third in the ninth inning, Schmit walked-it-off with a grounder to third, scoring the winning run. Schmit previously hit a walk-off for the Saints against Fargo-Moorhead in early June.

During the regular season for St. Paul, Zimmerman appeared in 23 games, starting 17 and owned a record of seven wins and three losses. The Eden Prairie, MN native led the Saints in strikeouts with 105 and held an ERA of 4.16. While on the bump for the Express in 2017, Zimmerman earned five wins after appearing in 12 games for Eau Claire, striking out a team-high 59 batters.

Blake Schmit played for the Express during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In 2013 Schmit enjoyed his most successful season in the Orange and Black, batting .304 with 72 hits and 32 RBIs over 59 games. Schmit was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2014 and in the minors during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. In 2019 with the Saints, Schmit is batting .242 with 59 hits and 32 RBIs.

Ryan Schlosser played with the Express in 2015, was drafted by Atlanta in 2016 and played in the MiLB for two seasons before joining the St. Paul Saints. Schlosser made his most recent appearance with the Saints in Game 1 of the American Association Finals. Schlosser came late into the game and tossed two scoreless innings for St. Paul, striking out two batters and helping the team to a 12-3 win over the Sioux City Explorers. Schlosser has appeared in 22 games for the Saints this season, tossing 32.2 innings, striking out 16, and earning a record of 2-2.

Zimmerman, Schmit, Schlosser and the rest of the Saints will play Game 2 of the American Association Finals tonight in Sioux City and will return to CHS Field Saturday.

Keep a lookout all off-season for more alumni updates presented by Lakeland University. At Lakeland University you’ll find unique 14-week BlendEd courses that allow you to complete coursework either online or in class from week to week depending on your location, schedule, and other life commitments allowing you to choose the format that works best for you. To learn more, click HERE.

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The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate 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 former 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) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). 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.