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 West Division in the Midwest Conference. 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.

Joliet Slammers
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
League	Frontier League (West Division)
Location	Joliet, Illinois
Ballpark	Duly Health and Care Field
Founded	2010
Nickname(s)	Jailbirds
League championships	2 (2011, 2018)
Division championships	2 (2011, 2016)
Playoff berths	3 2011 2016 2018
Colors	Green, orange, white, black
Mascot	Spikes & J.L Bird
Ownership	Mike Veeck Bill Murray Night Train Veeck
General manager	Dayana Rodriguez
Manager	Mike Pinto
Media	1340 WJOL The Herald-News The Joliet Bugle FloSports
Website	jolietslammers.com

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.^[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.^[2][3]

Season-by-season records

Joliet Slammers
Season	Record	Win %	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
2011	56–40	.583	1st	Bart Zeller	Won Division Series vs. Lake Erie Crushers, 3–0 Won Frontier League Championship vs. River City Rascals, 3–1
2012	37–58	.389	6th	Bart Zeller	Did not qualify
2013	38–57	.400	6th	Mike Breyman	Did not qualify
2014	40–56	.417	6th	Jeff Isom	Did not qualify
2015	42–54	.438	5th	Jeff Isom	Did not qualify
2016	51–45	.531	1st	Jeff Isom	Lost Division Series vs. Evansville Otters, 3–1
2017	42–54	.438	5th	Jeff Isom	Did not qualify
2018	54–42	.563	2nd	Jeff Isom	Won Division Series vs. River City Rascals, 3–2 Won Frontier League Championship vs. Washington Wild Things, 3–2
2019	40–56	.417	4th	Jeff Isom	Did not qualify
2020	21-5	.807	1st	Billy Petrick	Won City of Champions Cup (Non-Frontier League)
2021	39–56	.417	4th	Aaron Nieckula	Did not qualify
2022	49–47	.510	4th	Daniel Schlereth	Did not qualify
2023	46–50	.479	5th	Daniel Schlereth	Did not qualify
2024	38–58	.396	8th	Mike Pinto	Did not qualify
Totals	547–628	.484	—	—	13–8 Playoff record 2 Division series wins, 2 Frontier League championships

Single season records

Statistics as of the completion of the 2023 season

Offensive

Statistic	Record	Player	Year
Hits	135	Grant DeBruin	2014
Doubles	29	Grant DeBruin/Carter Bell	2014/2016
Triples	6	Josh Flores	2011
Home Runs	27	Matt Warkentin	2023
RBIs	77	Erik Lis	2011
Walks	57	Russell Moldenhauer	2014
Stolen Bases	35	Josh Flores	2011

Pitching

Statistic	Record	Player	Year
Wins	13	Jake Renshaw	2011
Strikeouts	131	Cole Cook	2023
Saves	28	Ryan Quigley	2011

Franchise leaders

Statistics as of the completion of the 2023 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. Alfredo Rodriguez…205 (2015–2016)
1. Kyle Maunas…205 (2011–2013)
2. Lane Baremore…204 (2021–2023)
3. Tyler Depreta-Johnson...199 (2021–2023)

Doubles
1. Brylie Ware...43 (2021–2022)
1. Kyle Manus…43 (2011–2013)
2. Grant DeBruin…41 (2013–2014)
3. Brad Netzel…39 (2011–2012)

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. Kyle Manus...32 (2011–2013)
2. Erik Lis...28 (2011–2012)
3. Matt Warkentin…27 (2023–present)

RBI
1. Kyle Manus...128 (2011–2013)
2. Erik Lis...122 (2011–2012)
3. Danny Zardon...110 (2017–2018)
3. Matt McGarry…110 (2022–2023)

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

Joliet Slammers roster

• v
• t
• e

Active roster				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 39 Jake Armstrong 44 Ian Delleman 36 Geno Encina 26 Kevin Fee 40 Zach Grace  6 David Harrison 21 Dwayne Marshall  4 Jacob Morin 11 Frank Plesac 33 Brett Sanchez 25 Cameron Smith 16 Cole Wesneski 19 Zac Westcott		Catchers 23 Brandon Heidal 38 Drew Stengren 22 Tommy Stevenson Infielders 68 Zach Biermann ‡  1 Jeissy De La Cruz 14 Cal Hejza  8 Victor Nova 12 Antonio Valdez 35 Matthew Warkentin Outfielders  2 Chris Davis  9 Braden Duhon 28 Liam McArthur 17 Jonathan Sierra		Manager  3 Mike Pinto Coaches  5 Ron Biga (bench) -- Tyler Martin (pitching) Disabled list ‡ Inactive list § Suspended list  updated July 19, 2024 Transactions

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.