Joliet Slammers

The Joliet Slammers are a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois. The Slammers compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the Midwest Division. The team plays their home games at the Duly Health and Care Field, and is owned by Mike Veeck, Bill Murray and the Night Train Veeck company. The Slammers are not affiliated with any Major League Baseball teams and are outside of the Minor League Baseball system.

The Slammers were founded in 2010, and began play in the 2011 season. The team was founded following the departure of the Joliet JackHammers, who were based in Joliet from 2002 to 2010. The Slammers captured their first Frontier League championship in their inaugural season, beating the River City Rascals 3 games to 1. The team name refers to the famous prisons of Joliet and Will County (Joliet Correctional Center and Stateville Correctional Center) as well as a common baseball term. The Slammers are one of the three Frontier League teams located in the Chicago metropolitan area, along with the Windy City ThunderBolts and Schaumburg Boomers.

History

The Joliet Slammers were founded in 2011. They replaced the Joliet JackHammers of the Northern League 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 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.

On September 18, 2011, the Slammers were named Frontier League champions after defeating the River City Rascals, 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.

In January 2024 the team announced new ownership, headed by Mike Veeck, Bill Murray as well as Night Train Veeck. Murray and Veeck were part-owners of the St. Paul Saints until 2023, when, following the team's shift into affiliated ball, that team was sold to a new ownership group.

Season-by-season records

Single season records

''Statistics as of the completion of the 2024 season''

Offensive

Pitching

Franchise leaders

''Statistics as of the completion of the 2024 season''

Offensive

Games played

1. Tyler Depreta-Johnson...257 (2021–2023)

2. Kyle Maunas...248 (2011–2013)

3. Lane Baremore…219 (2021–2023)

Hits

1. Liam McArthur…216 (2023–present)

2. Alfredo Rodriguez…205 (2015–2016)

2. Kyle Maunas…205 (2011–2013)

3. Lane Baremore…204 (2021–2023)

Doubles

1. Brylie Ware...43 (2021–2022)

1. Kyle Manus…43 (2011–2013)

2. Grant DeBruin…41 (2013–2014)

3. Matt Warkentin…40 (2023–2024)

Triples

1. Matt McGarry…9 (2022–2023)

2. Josh Flores…6 (2011)

2. Scott Holzwasser…6 (2021–2023)

3. Ridge Hoopii-Haslam...5 (2017–2019)

Home Runs

1. Matt Warkentin…51 (2023–2024)

2. Kyle Manus...32 (2011–2013)

3. Erik Lis...28 (2011–2012)

RBI

1. Matt Warkentin…147 (2023–2024)

2. Kyle Manus...128 (2011–2013)

3. Erik Lis...122 (2011–2012)

Stolen Bases

1. London Lindley...53 (2018–2019)

1. Ridge Hoopii-Haslam...53 (2017–2019)

2. Charlie White...48 (2015–2016)

3. Travis Bolin...41 (2017–2019)

Pitching

Innings Pitched

1. Cam Aufderheide...323.2 (2021–2023)

2. Cole Cook…254.1 (2022–2023)

3. Liam O’Sullivan...244.2 (2016, 2018)

Strikeouts

1. Cole Cook… 240 (2022–2023)

1. Cam Aufderheide…240 (2021–2023)

2. Shane Bryant...187 (2015–2018)

3. Liam O’Sullivan...186 (2016, 2018)

Wins

1. Cole Cook...23 (2022–2023)

2. Liam O’Sullivan...22 (2016, 2018)

3. Scot Hoffman...14 (2017–2019)

3. Jake Renshaw...14 (2011–2012)

Saves

1. Ryan Quigley...28 (2011)

2. Ryan Koziol...23 (2019)

3. Confesor Lara...20 (2016–2017)

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 (2017)
* Dietrich Enns (2020)
* Mitch Glasser (2020)
* Ian Krol (2020)
* Bubby Rossman (2020)
* Brock Stewart (2020)
* Charlie Tilson (2020)
* Braxton Davidson (2021)
* Chris Roycroft (2021–2022)
* Tyler Jay (2022–2023)

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 Illinois
Frontier League teams
Professional baseball teams in Illinois
Slammers
Baseball teams established in 2010