The Joliet Slammers are a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

team based in

Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will and Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 census, the city was the third-largest in Illinois, with a population of 150,362. His ...

, that play in the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

. They play their home games at Duly Health and Care Field. They replaced the

Joliet JackHammers The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, in the United States. The JackHammers were a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 2002 to 2010, the JackHammers ...

of the

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

after the franchise was crippled by numerous financial issues. The JackHammers franchise was put up for sale and Steel City Baseball, LLC, bought out all assets, including the front office, the ticketing system, and the lease of the ballpark. The company behind the popular card game

Cards Against Humanity ''Cards Against Humanity'' is an adult party game in which players complete fill-in-the-blank statements, using words or phrases typically deemed offensive, risqué, or politically incorrect, printed on playing cards. It has been compared to th ...

announced in December 2017 that they had purchased the naming rights to the stadium, calling it the "Cards Against Humanity Baseball Place", but the company's claim has been disputed by Slammers management. The "Slammers" name refers to the famous prisons of Joliet and Will County (

Joliet Correctional Center Joliet Correctional Center (originally known as Illinois State Penitentiary, colloquially as Joliet Prison, Joliet Penitentiary, the Old Joliet Prison, and the Collins Street Prison) was a prison in Joliet, Illinois, United States, from 1858 t ...

and

Stateville Correctional Center Stateville Correctional Center (SCC) is a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. It is a part of the Illinois Department of Corrections. History Opened in 1925, Stateville was built to ...

) as well as a common baseball term. On September 18, 2011, the Slammers were named Frontier League champions after defeating the

River City Rascals The River City Rascals were a professional baseball team based in O'Fallon, Missouri, in the United States. The Rascals were a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 1999 ...

, 6–5 in Joliet, taking the best-of-five Frontier League championship series three games to one. Following the 2012 season, the Slammers were purchased on October 15, 2012, by Joliet Community Baseball & Entertainment, LLC. The team's name, stadium, league, and overall branding remained the same.

Season-by-season records

Single season records

''Statistics as of the completion of the 2022 season''

Offensive

*Hits: 135.....Grant DeBruin, 2013 *Doubles: 29.....Grant DeBruin/Carter Bell, 2012/2016 *Triples: 6.....Josh Flores, 2011 *Homeruns: 23.....Justin Garcia, 2018 *RBIs: 77.....Erik Lis, 2011 *Walks: 57.....Russell Moldenhauer, 2014 *Stolen Bases: 35.....Josh Flores, 2011

Pitching

*Wins: 13.....Jake Renshaw, 2011 *Strikeouts: 122.....Daren Osby, 2019 *Saves: 28.....Ryan Quigley, 2011

Franchise leaders

''Statistics as of the completion of the 2022 season''

Offensive

Games played
1. Kyle Manus...248 (2011–2013)
2. Brylie Ware...193 (2020–2022)
3. Alfredo Rodriguez...192 (2015–2016) Hits
1. Brylie Ware...211 (2020–2022)
2. Kyle Manus...205 (2011-2013)
2. Alfredo Rodriguez...205 (2015–2016)
3. Grant DeBruin...196 (2013–2014) Doubles
1. Brylie Ware...45 (2020–2022)
2. Kyle Manus…43 (2011–2013)
3. Grant DeBruin…41 (2013–2014) Triples
1. Josh Flores…6 (2011)
2. Marquis Riley...5 (2013–2014)
2. Mike Garza...5 (2015–2016)
2. Matt McGarry...5 (2020, 2022–present) Home Runs
1. Kyle Manus...32 (2011–2013)
2. Erik Lis...28 (2011–2012)
3. Justin Garcia...23 (2018) RBI
1. Kyle Manus...128 (2011–2013)
2. Erik Lis...122 (2011–2012)
3. Danny Zardon...110 (2017–2018)
3. Brylie Ware...110 (2020–2022)
Stolen Bases
1. London Lindley...53 (2018–2019)
2. Charlie White...48 (2015–2016)
3. Josh Flores...35 (2011)

Pitching

Innings Pitched
1. Cameron Aufderheide...274.0 (2020–present)
2. Liam O’Sullivan...246.1 (2016, 2018)
3. Daren Osby...177.2 (2018-2019)
Strikeouts
1. Cameron Aufderheide...212 (2020–present)
2. Liam O’Sullivan...186 (2016, 2018)
3. Daren Osby...176 (2018-2019)
Wins
1. Liam O’Sullivan...22 (2016, 2018)
2. Jake Renshaw...14 (2011–2012)
2. Scot Hoffman...14 (2017–2019)
3. Kevin McNorton...12 (2014–2017)
3. Cameron Aufderheide...12 (2020–present) Saves
1. Ryan Quigley...28 (2011)
2. Ryan Koziol...23 (2019)
3. Trevor Charpie...21 (2020–present)

Current Roster

Notable alumni

Several notable players have competed for the Slammers; years in parentheses are seasons when the player was with the team. * Billy Petrick (2011) * Jake Sanchez (2012–2013) * Kaleb Ort (2016–2017) *

Joe Ortiz Joseph Ortiz Blanco (born August 13, 1990) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for one season in 2013 with the Texas Rangers. Career Texas Rangers On August 28, 2006, Ortiz signed ...

(2017) *

Dietrich Enns Dietrich Enns (born May 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays. Amateur ca ...

(2020) *

Mitch Glasser Mitchell Emri Glasser (born October 15, 1989) is an American-Israeli baseball player who is a free agent. He also plays for the Israel National Baseball Team. In high school, Glasser was Illinois Independent School League MVP as a senior. A ...

(2020) *

Ian Krol Ian A. Krol (born May 9, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angel ...

(2020) * Bubby Rossman (2020) * Brock Stewart (2020) * Charlie Tilson (2020) * Braxton Davidson (2021) * Nick Lovullo (2021) * Tyler Jay (2022–present) Kaleb Ort became the first Joliet Slammers player to make it to the MLB. He made his major league debut on September 13, 2021 as a member of the Boston Red Sox in a game against the Seattle Mariners. Dietrich Enns had previously played for the Minnesota Twins in the 2017 season. He has moved around the Twins', Padres', and Rays' minor league teams before coming to Joliet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enns was picked up by the Tampa Bay Rays after pitching just 18 innings for the Joliet Tully Monsters in the City of Champions Cup, a four-team league hosted by the Joliet Slammers. Enns was called up to the Rays in the 2021 season.

References

External links

Official website

Frontier League website

{{Authority control 2010 establishments in Illinois Baseball teams in Chicago Frontier League teams Professional baseball teams in Illinois

Slammers Slammers Bar & Pizza Kitchen is a lesbian bar in Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., ...

Baseball teams established in 2010