Even after sweeping season series, Express won't take Duluth lightly in playoffs
Aug. 12—Even if history is on their side, the Eau Claire Express won't take Duluth lightly this weekend. The Express won all eight regular-season matchups against the Huskies this summer, but when the two squads begin their best-of-three playoff series in Duluth on Sunday, both sides enter with a fresh start.
The Express can be confident, but they won't overlook anybody with a championship on the line.
"It's kind of a clean slate," Eau Claire manager Dale Varsho said. "I know they've been resting some players that are really good, and you never know what's going to happen in a three-game series. It's a good thing for us, knowing that we swept them all year, but when you think about going into the playoffs you don't take anyone lightly."
Duluth hosts the first game of the series on Sunday before it heads to Carson Park for Game 2 on Monday and, if necessary, Game 3 on Tuesday.
The Express beat Duluth twice this week to complete the season sweep. Across eight games, Eau Claire's average margin of victory over the Huskies was 5.1 runs.
A lot of that success, Varsho said, was opportunistic.
"It just kind of shakes out that way," he said. "One time we played them in a doubleheader at their place, and they had just come back from a horrible road trip. We caught them by surprise by being pretty well stacked on our team."
Still, it doesn't hurt to have wins under the team's belt. Eau Claire entered Thursday with a 41-24 record this summer, including the 22-9 second-half mark that led to a Great Plains East Division title.
The Express have been at their best lately, riding a five-game win streak into Thursday. They had won nine of their last 10 games entering a contest at Mankato on Thursday night. Since July 3, Eau Claire is 24-9.
"We've got most of our core here yet, especially position-wise," Varsho said. "The players are playing well right now and want to continue it."
Having an intact roster is part of the battle in the Northwoods League playoffs. Players typically begin filtering back to their schools late in the season, making managing a postseason roster a juggling act.
Varsho expects the Express' pitching staff to need some adjusting, but Eau Claire will have its regulars ready to play in the field and fill out the lineup. That will be key if the team makes a deep run. The playoff field in the Great Plains is particularly strong.
St. Cloud won the Great Plains West Division in the first half of the season to clinch a playoff spot, and Willmar is on the cusp of clinching the second-half title. St. Cloud is 48-17 this year and the Stingers are close behind at 46-19.
"It's great for us to have these guys," Varsho said. "We've got unbelievable teams ahead of us like Willmar and St. Cloud. Even the Duluth series, they've got players that are banged up and haven't played, so hopefully they're healthy and make it two, three really good games. It will be interesting and fun. Hopefully our star guys are ready to play and get after it."
This weekend will mark Eau Claire's first return to the playoffs since 2019. The Express knocked off Waterloo in the sub-divisional series that year and beat Willmar in the divisional championship to reach the Summer Collegiate World Series, where they fell to Traverse City 3-2 in walk-off fashion. The 2020 season was canceled and Eau Claire fell short of the playoffs last summer.
Duluth features three Northwoods League All-Stars, including shortstop Kristian Campbell. The freshman from Georgia Tech entered Thursday with a .364 batting average, which ranked fourth-best in the league.
Most of Eau Claire's starters are hitting above .270. They'll be key to any success the Express find in the postseason.
"It's just timely hitting and getting a little luck on our side," Varsho said. "It's about playing well. Nothing can change from the past, so hopefully we stay really solid at the end of the year and play well in the playoffs by just doing the little things."
