Eau Claire Express

{{Short description|Wisconsin collegiate summer baseball team}}

{{more citations needed|date=August 2012}}

{{Infobox baseball team

| name = Eau Claire Express

| logo = Eau Claire Express Hat Logo.png

| league = Northwoods League

| division = Great Plains East 2019-present)
(North Division 2014-2018)
(South Division 2005-2013

| location = Eau Claire, Wisconsin

| stadium = Carson Park

| founded = 2005

| league_champs = 1 (2010)

| series = Division

| series_champs = 4 (2007, 2010, 2016, 2019)

| former_names =

| former_leagues =

| former_ballparks =

| colors = Burnt Orange, Black, Light Blue {{color box|#FF8C00}} {{color box|black}} {{color box|#3E8EDE}}

| owner = Craig Toycen, The Toycen Baseball Club, LLC{{Cite web | url=https://www.weau.com/2022/02/14/eau-claire-express-baseball-team-sold/ | title=EAU Claire Express baseball team sold }}

| management = Sammi Costello,{{Cite web | url=https://northwoodsleague.com/eau-claire-express/2022/03/01/express-announce-first-female-general-manager-in-franchise-history/ | title=Express Announce First Female General Manager in Franchise History | date=March 2022 }}

| manager = Dale Varsho,Vic Cable{{Cite web | url=https://northwoodsleague.com/eau-claire-express/team/front-office/ | title=Front Office }}

| media = {{URL|www.leadertelegram.com|Eau Claire Leader Telegram}}

| website = {{URL|www.eauclaireexpress.com|EauClaireExpress.com}}

}}

The Eau Claire Express is a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Northwoods League. Their home games are played at Carson Park, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

After two straight losing seasons in 2005 and 2006, the Eau Claire Express achieved many firsts during the 2007 season. The team won nine of its final ten regular season games to finish 42-26 overall and claim the 2007 2nd Half South Division title, their first regular season division title in franchise history and qualified for the Northwoods League playoffs, another franchise first.

In the 2007, South Division Championship Series, they faced the 1st Half South Division Champion Green Bay Bullfrogs. They won the series 2–1, claiming the 2007 South Division Pennant, another first in franchise history. In the 2007 Northwoods League Championship Series, they faced the North Division Champion St. Cloud River Bats and were swept 2-0 by the eventual Northwoods League Champions.

The 2008 season ended with the Express missing the Northwoods League playoffs by 1.5 games. The Express finished the season one game below .500.

The Express had one of their best seasons in 2009. They had a great first half, winning the NWL South Division to qualify for the playoffs. However, injuries and summer school depleted the squad in the second half. Eau Claire was eliminated in two games by the La Crosse Loggers in the Northwoods League Divisional round.

In 2010, the Express won the first half of the season again with a 22–12 record. Via www.perfectgame.org, the Express have been ranked as high as #3 in the nation for summer collegiate baseball. The team closed out the 2010 season winning both halves. They followed this up by winning the NWL Championship and www.perfectgame.org ranked the Eau Claire Express the #1 summer collegiate team in the nation.

The Express moved to the North Division for 2014, to accommodate the new NWL teams in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Kalamazoo, Michigan.

[http://www.eauclaireexpress.com/news/story.phtml?id=625E4AAE 2013-09-30 Express to move to North Division in 2014] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111072556/http://www.eauclaireexpress.com/news/story.phtml?id=625E4AAE |date=2013-11-11 }}, Eau Claire Express website.

The 2016, season saw the Express return to the Northwoods League postseason after winning the season's first half title. This was the first time the team had qualified for the playoffs since the 2010 season. Eau Claire opened the playoffs hosting the Mankato MoonDogs in the first round of the Divisional Playoffs at Carson Park. Despite having only a 1–7 record vs. Mankato in the regular season, Eau Claire was able to defeat the MoonDogs to advance. The next night the team traveled to St. Cloud, Minn. to face the second half champion Rox for a chance to play for the NWL Championship. After blowing a late lead, the Express were able to defeat the Rox in extra innings to win the North Division title.

Awaiting the Express in the NWL Championship Series was the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, the owners of the league's best regular season record. Eau Claire led game one by a run with two outs in the ninth inning at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. before giving up a walk-off, two-run home run to lose. The Express would go on to lose game two the following night at Carson Park to end a successful season and concede the Northwoods League title to the Rafters.{{cite web |title=Express Fall Short in Championship Loss |url=https://northwoodsleague.com/eau-claire-express/2019/08/17/express-fall-short-in-championship-loss/ |website=Northwoodsleague.com |access-date=30 March 2023}}

In 2022, The Eau Claire Express won the Great Plains East Division(2nd Half) with a record of 42–26.{{cite web |title=Standings - Northwoods League |url=https://northwoodsleague.com/standings/ |website=northwoodsleague.com |access-date=30 March 2023}} The Express lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual Plains Division champion Duluth Huskies.{{cite web |title=Eau Claire Express Eliminated From Playoffs |url=https://www.wqow.com/eye_on_eau_claire/eau-claire-express-eliminated-from-nwl-playoffs/article_12eda768-1d16-11ed-bd3f-9b47ce9d532a.html |website=WQOW.com |access-date=30 March 2023}}

In 2023, the Express found themselves back in the playoffs, winning the first half despite an 0-3 start which they were outscored 11-20 and gave up 8 runs in two of those games. They went 20-11 the rest of the first half and clinched it with a 12-1 win on July 3 over the Rochester Honkers. They got their way through the second half, going 16-17. They would get swept by La Crosse in 2 games.