Alumni Update 9/24: Cody Milligan
The offseason is here, the days are growing shorter, and the Express front office is holding on to the last bits of baseball that are left this fall. Today we are looking back at the Eau Claire Express career of Cody Milligan and checking in on what the Oklahoma native has been up to this past season.
Notably, with the Express in 2018, Milligan proved to be a versatile piece for Eau Claire and Manager Dale Varsho. Milligan split his time in Eau Claire behind the plate and on the infield for the Express in 2018 while appearing in 46 games. Milligan was fourth on the team in hits (44), fifth in doubles (8) and notched 18 RBIs in 2018.
Cody Milligan 2018
Milligan made Express baseball history when he played all nine positions on August 1st, 2018 against the Border Cats. Milligan started the night behind home plate, where he gunned down a streaking Border Cat to jump-start his historic campaign. After that exciting beginning, Milligan began to make his way around the infield and outfield, coming in to pitch in the ninth, stepping on the rubber, striking out one Thunder Bay batter and etching his name in the Express history books.
Milligan played his college ball with Cowley Community College after transferring there from Oklahoma State. While with the Cowley Tigers in 2019, Milligan batted for a .421 average that included 42 RBIs, 13 doubles, five triples and five homeruns. Milligan helped the Tigers earn their third consecutive Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division title and qualify for the JUCO World Series. There, Milligan was named to the JUCO World Series All-Tournament Team. The honors continued to roll in for Milligan after the season. The sophomore was named the Jayhawk East Most Valuable Player as well as a First Team all-conference and all-region selection, a First Team NJCAA Division I All-American and a First Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Slated to return to the Express in 2019, Milligan was drafted in the ninth round of the MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves and joined their minor league affiliate, the Danville Braves, for the 2019 season.
Milligan continued his rise and was a key player for Danville this season. Playing second base, Milligan hit for .252 and .299 slugging, launched one homerun and seven doubles in 59 games. Milligan led the Danville Braves in appearances (59), hits (54), stolen bases (12), walks (44) and was tied for the team lead with 37 runs scored.
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.
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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.