Casey Gillaspie was a terror at Carson Park in 2012 and today is the topic or our Express Alumni Update presented by Lakeland University.

Gillaspie came to Eau Claire from Wichita State and immediately made an impact with Express fans. The switch-hitting first-basemen hit for .332, earned an All-Star nod and blasted 12 long balls, good for the team’s record at that point in time, only recently bested in 2016 by Daulton Varsho.

Gillaspie’s name blankets the Eau Claire Express single-season record books. The Omaha, Nebraska, native holds the top spot for the top slugging percentage, .536, and also holds top-ten numbers in batting average, .332, obs, .432, home runs, 12, RBIs, 38, walks, 40, runs scored, 53, and hits, 78.

In 2014 Gillaspie set another Express record, becoming the team’s highest-ever MLB Draft pick when he was selected as the 20^th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round. In the MiLB, Gillaspie earned three Mid-Season All-Star awards in 2014, ’15, and ’16 and was named Tampa Bay’s Organizational All-Star by MiLB.com in 2016.

That same year Gillaspie was elevated to AAA Durham where he would play a total of 142 games, and in his final season with the Bulls in 2016 would gain a .227 average with nine homers, two triples, and 15 doubles before being acquired by the Chicago White Sox. Gillaspie capped his Minor League career with the Charlotte Knights, playing in 101 contests and smashing 9 home runs and driving in 40 runs. Gillaspie featured on the White Sox’s 2018 Cactus League roster.

In 2019 Gillaspie signed with the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association. Gillaspie led the T-Bones in multiple hitting categories over the course of the season including doubles, 26, home runs, 14, and RBIs, 69, all while helping Kansas City to a Southern Division Championship.