Eau Claire, Wis. – The road from Palo Alto, California, to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, isn’t one many college baseball players expect to travel. Yet this summer, four Stanford players made the cross-country journey to Carson Park, trading one of the college baseball’s most prestigious programs for long bus rides, packed summer schedules and the opportunity to continue growing with the Eau Claire Express.

The quartet arrived in Eau Claire through connections between Stanford’s coaching staff and Express field manager Dale Varsho, allowing the Cardinal players to face elite competition in the Northwoods League while experiencing summer ball together.

For the players, Philip Cheong, Mike Erspamer, Quinten Marsh and Nolan Stoll, the move has been about more than baseball; it’s been about building chemistry, adjusting to a new environment and preparing for the next chapter of their collegiate careers. 

Their decision to spend the summer in Eau Claire wasn’t by chance. The connection between Stanford and the Express has continued to grow through pitching coach Thomas Eager, whose own experience with the organization has made the Northwoods League an attractive destination for Cardinal players.

The Express secures a variety of players from Stanford every year due to Eager having his own experience as a Train from 2005-06 until he was drafted in 2007 to the St. Louis Cardinals and spent four years with the organization.

Now with his ninth season on the Farm, Eager serves as a pitching coach and recruiting coordinator who has helped Stanford to a combined 275-150 (.647) overall record. 

“When you had people in the past from Stanford who came here, they loved it,” Erspamer said. “So it was kind of an easy choice to come out here.”

The opportunity to play for the Express extends far beyond the baseball field. While the adjustment to a new team, host family and competitive environment can be difficult, the experience has also provided these players with valuable skill development, lifelong relationships and a chance to elevate their game before returning to Stanford.

“Over the summer, I want to develop and become the player I’m trying to be,” Cheong said. “I feel like my speed allows me to play a game differently than anybody else and that involves putting the ball in play a lot, stealing bases and tracking down balls that nobody else can.”

One of the biggest changes that the Stanford players enjoy is playing in front of little kids, something that is not always prominent at Stanford, but is a normalization on the Express team. As kids line the locker room waiting for autographs and photos, amazed at watching the players, in hopes of being just like them when they grow up.

“The fans are way more intuitive here than I would say at Stanford,” Cheong said. “At Stanford, there’s more, I would say, older generation versus here, there’s a lot of kids, which is a lot of fun to have.”

As the supportive fans fill the grandstands at Carson Park, the Stanford players are accustomed to the busy summer schedule of 72 games. Despite the limited time off, long travel hours and the need to maintain their workouts, eat healthy and get enough rest, they continue to push through the challenges, as their love of the game prevails.

“I do it because the three hours that I get on the field are some of the best three hours of the day,” Cheong said. “The three hours that I get to spend on the field are unexplainable.”

The four Stanford players join the rest of the team in forming a brotherhood, becoming a family as they grow closer over the season, ultimately fostering a sense of motivation to persevere through the tight schedule.

“Just the teammates, it’s fun being out,” Erspamer said. “I mean, there’s no road trip I wouldn’t want to go on.”

“I mean, baseball’s a fun game and it’s nice with the guys around here, it doesn’t really feel like a grind for the most part,” Marsh said. “Obviously, playing every day is tough, but with the group we have, it’s worth it.”