This Express Alumni Update is presented by Lakeland University

There is always more baseball to talk about. The Express schedule has just dropped, and even though we are in the beginning stages of planning the season here in Wisconsin, down under Express Alum Ryan Zimmerman and the Sydney Blue Sox have just begun theirs in the Australian Baseball League.

You might remember the last time that we dropped in on Zimmerman when he and the rest of the contingent of Express alums were winning the American Association Championship with the Saint Paul Saints.

Shortly after raising the championship trophy with the Saints, Zimmerman was signing a contract to play ball in Australia.

In a Q&A conducted with the Blue Sox, Zimmerman said “I’ve known for a while now that I wanted to try to play ball in Australia and Sydney was definitely my top choice for a place to play so I’m very excited for this opportunity. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the ABL and the Blue Sox so it was an easy decision to want to end up there.”

The entire Q&A can be found, HERE.

Zimmerman joins a pitching corps that includes three other Americans including Ty’Relle Harris, Thomas Dorminy, and former Atlanta Braves lefty, Matt Marksberry. The Sydney Blue Sox fell to Geelong-Korea by a score of 2-1 last evening on opening night. Zimmerman has yet to make an appearance for the Blue Sox.

Zimmerman last tossed competitively for the Saints in Game 3 of the American Association Finals. The Eden Prairie native had a strong start for St. Paul, tossing five complete innings and striking out three batters. Zimmerman gained momentum in the outing, not allowing a single run to score after the first. Zimmerman had an excellent season with the Saints en route to the championship. The St. Thomas alum won seven games in 2019 while establishing a 4.16 ERA and fanning 105 batters. In the playoffs, no St. Paul pitcher threw more complete innings or struck out as many batters as Zimmerman.

A two-year player with the Express, Zimmerman last appeared in the Orange and Black in 2017 where he struck out a team-high 59 batters and picked up five wins. Notably, Zimmerman earned Pitcher of the Night honors after retiring 12 straight Thunder Bay batters to help to the Express to a late-season win in August of 2017.  In 2016, Zimmerman struck out 29 and walked 15 batters while earning a 2.45 ERA through 33 innings of work.

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.

Kwik Trip Round-Trip Memberships are available online or by calling 715-839-7788 and start at $55. Single-game tickets and general admission tickets will go on sale at a later date.

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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 Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 26th 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 230 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Stars Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.