BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (July 30, 2012) — Forget everything you know about the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle for the Little Brown Jug; with the season winding down and the playoff picture not favoring the Battle Creek Bombers nor the Eau Claire Express, the two teams have found a new motivation to play for: The NWL Clash of the Ex-Titans.
In 2010, the Eau Claire Express were the toast of the Northwoods League as they posted a 52-24 record and defeated the Rochester Honkers in a three-game series to become the Northwoods League Champions for the first time in team history. Perfect Game Baseball named the Express the Summer League Team of the Year and Dale Varsho was named NWL Manager of the Year.
Similarly, the 2011 Battle Creek Bombers dominated the Northwoods League in route to a 47-26 overall record and became the Summer Collegiate World Series Champs. The Bombers finished the season ranked 9th nationally and completed the biggest turnaround in Northwood League History. Donnie Scott, the manager of the Bombers, won NWL Manager of the Year honors and the Bombers sent five players to the All-Star game.
With each team currently owning the same 20-36 overall record, Bombers General Manager Brian Colopy and Express General Manager Andy Neborak have negotiated a wager that includes the two former “Titans of the League”. The team’s GM that owns the worst record heading into the final game of the season on August 12 at C.O. Brown Stadium will have to wear the other teams Jersey and Hat and be the opposing team’s batboy for the game. Additionally, the team with the best record will win the Official Clash of the Titans Trophy. The Clash of the Titans competition began being tracked starting on July 30 and will finish August 11.
“I have complete confidence in our team and have no doubt that our guys will continue to fight over these next 2 weeks to put Mr. Neborak on a bus and over to the Creek for the final game of the season. We are preparing the official bat boy jersey for him as we speak.” said Bombers GM Brian Colopy.
“The talent we have on our team along with our encouraging play recently has me confident that our team will end the year on a strong note. I’m sure that Mr. Colopy will look great wearing Express orange on his own turf,” stated Express GM Andy Neborak.
The Battle Creek Bombers and Eau Claire Express are members of the prestigious Northwoods League that has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other summer collegiate baseball league in North America.
Morris, a 6-foot-3-inch freshman, is using 2010 as a redshirt season for the Razorbacks. He transferred to Arkansas after spending one semester at Arizona State University. Morris had an outstanding career at Coppell (Tex.) High School, which led to the Washington Nationals drafting him in the 35th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Enns is a 6-foot-1-inch pitcher at Central Michigan University. The left-hander has worked mostly out of the bullpen in his freshman season for the Chippewas, posting a 3-0 record and a 1.71 earned run average in nine appearances (one start). His 28 strikeouts rank third on the team and his opponents’ batting average of .174 is the lowest on the team for anyone that has pitched more than three innings thus far. 
Fadness, a 5-foot-8 inch junior, has been a versatile member of the Express the past two summers. The Eau Claire Memorial graduate has played all three outfield spots along with putting time in at second base. He was the only Express player to be named to both the mid-season and post-season Northwoods League All-Star teams in 2009. Fadness finished the season with a .317 batting average and team-leading totals in hits (73), at-bats (230), runs (50), walks (33), and stolen bases (28). 
Fadness is a graduate of Eau Claire Memorial High School and is the starting catcher at South Mountain. In 18 games this spring, he ranks second on the team with a .356 batting average, is tied for the team lead with six doubles and leads the Cougars with ten runs batted in. Will last year became the fourth Fadness to play for the Express, joining brothers Ty (2005), Mickey (2007) and Nolan (2008-2009).
Florez is a 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound freshman for the Lobos. The right-hander had an outstanding career at Las Cruces High School, ranking fourth in New Mexico state baseball history with 175 strikeouts. He was named to the All-State and All-District teams from 2008-2009. Florez has not yet pitched this spring for New Mexico and is likely to be red-shirted this season.
House, a 6-foot-4-inch pitcher, has been used mainly out of the bullpen this spring for New Mexico. In seven appearances, the freshman is 1-0 with one save and a 4.03 earned run average. House was drafted in the 25th round by the Boston Red Sox out of High School, but chose instead to attend college.
Mares, a 6-foot right-hander, has begun his freshman season mainly as a starting pitcher. In three appearances, including two starts, he is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA. As a high school senior, Mares was the All-City and All-District Most Valuable Player and was the winning pitcher in the Texas State Championship game.
Silva is a 5-foot-10-inch, 175-pound sophomore. The right-hander is Yavapai’s closer, with 12 saves in 20 appearances thus far. His performance has been nothing short of dominant, as he has 48 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched to go along with a 0.93 ERA. Silva was equally impressive as a freshman, finishing with a 0.84 ERA, 17 saves and 41 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched.
Blank, a 6-foot-2-inch right-handed pitcher, appeared in ten games (seven starts) for the Express in 2009. He finished with a record of 3-1 and a 4.43 earned run average. The sophomore has logged 14.2 innings this spring for the Bears and has a 2-1 record and 4.30 ERA in four appearances (two starts). Blank appeared in 15 games with four starts as a freshman at Baylor.
Forney is a 5-foot-10-inch sophomore infielder at Yavapai. The Gilbert, Ariz. native played in 57 games as a freshman, batting .357 with 38 runs batted in. He has followed up his impressive freshman season with a strong start this spring, as he is batting .301 and leads the team with nine stolen bases through 22 games. His nine steals have already surpassed his total of seven in 2009.
Zenn is a 5-foot-11-inch freshman for the Roughriders. In 19 games this spring, the infielder is batting .316 and is a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases. He is tied for the team-lead with 11 walks and leads the team with a .469 on-base percentage. Zenn appeared in 21 games as a senior at Benicia (Calif.) High school and had a .400 batting average. He was drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Angels in the 27th round of the 2009 June Amateur Draft, but chose to attend school and play collegiate ball at Yavapai.
