(Eau Claire, WI) Eau Claire Express field manager Dale Varsho announced one returning player and four new additions to his 2010 roster today. Returning from late in the 2009 season is Eau Claire native and South Mountain Community College freshman Will Fadness. He will be joined by pitchers Steven Florez, Austin House and Bobby Mares of New Mexico and Pulama Silva of Yavapai. The Express roster now stands at 15.
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.
The Express will open their 2010 season in La Crosse on June 2. June 3 will mark the Express home opener, as the Loggers travel to Carson Park. Game time is 6:35 and the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a 2010 magnetic schedule, compliments of Maverick Media. Single-game tickets for all Express home games, including the NWL All-Star Game, are now available at the Express office and online at www.eauclaireexpress.com.
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.
