The Normal CornBelters are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Normal, Illinois, which is part of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. The franchise was formerly a professional team, and was a member of the independent Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.

The CornBelters play in the Prospect League's Western Conference – Northwest Division along with the Burlington Bees, Clinton LumberKings, Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp, and Quincy Doggy Paddlers.

Stadium On March 30, 2009, ground was broken for a $12 million multi-purpose stadium adjacent to Heartland Community College on Raab Road. The CornBelters will share the facility with Heartland's baseball, softball, and soccer programs. The facility was completed in time for the CornBelters' inaugural 2010 season.Nielsen, Adam. "Celebrating a major milestone at Heartland", Just About Normal (blog by local reporter), March 31, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009.

On October 20, 2009, it was announced that the stadium would be known as The Corn Crib.Reinhardt, Randy. "Baseball stadium gets a name: The Corn Crib", The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), October 20, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009. The name was the result of a naming rights partnership with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB). The naming rights agreement lasts for two years with an "automatic renewal". Both team and ICMB officials declined to disclose the financial terms of the partnership.

History Name-the-team contest

The CornBelters were named after a fan vote to determine the name. A publicity stunt occurred after the four finalists were unveiled:

Normal Nutz; an homage to the Beer Nuts brand based in nearby Bloomington (NOTE: The entries were originally "Nuts", but the ownership modified it to avoid conflict with the California League's Modesto Nuts) Normal NightHawks; a popular alliterative nickname. Normal CornBelters; a reference to Illinois' location in the Corn Belt. "Belt" is also a slang term meaning to hit the ball hard. Normal Coal Bears; submitted by fans of political satirist and The Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert (pronounced [kʰɔlˈbɛɹ], just like "coal bear"). In addition to the reference, Illinois (especially the west side of Bloomington-Normal) also has a strong heritage in coal mining.

In addition, two other choices were later added:

Normal Fellers; an homage to Jesse W. Fell, the founder of Illinois State University (ergo, the founder of the city of Normal), as well as the term "Feller" referring to "regular guy". Normal CamelBacks; an homage to Camelback Bridge, built to allow steam locomotives to pass underneath and currently arching over Constitution Trail. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

2010 season Hal Lanier was announced as the team's first manager on October 7, 2009. Lanier managed the Houston Astros to a division title in 1986 and is a former Major League player and coach as well. Over 21 seasons as a major, minor and independent league manager, Lanier has compiled a record of 1,338–1,033.Reinhardt, Randy. "CornBelters tab former Cardinals coach as first manager", The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), October 7, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009.

The Normal CornBelters' inaugural season schedule was released on October 16, 2009.Pawlowski, Stephanie. "Normal CornBelters release schedule", WJBC, October 16, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009. The CornBelters' season opened at the Evansville Otters on May 21, 2010. The home opener, the first in team history, was played at 7 p.m. on June 1, 2010, against the Windy City ThunderBolts. The team had 51 home games in 2010 and their season ended on September 5, 2010.Reinhardt, Randy. "CornBelters' first home game June 1", The Pantagraph, October 16, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009. The team finished with a 44–52 record. Two CornBelters were named 2010 All-Stars and played in the All-Star Game: RHP Tyler Lavigne and 3B Daniel Cox.

Seasons Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League Season Manager Record Win % League Division GB Post-season record Post-season win % Post-season result Notes 2010 Hal Lanier 44–52 .302 8th 4th 20.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2011 Hal Lanier 46–50 .479 7th 3rd 22.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2012 Chad Parker 29–67 .302 13th 7th 28.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2013 Chad Parker 46–50 .479 10th 5th 13.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2014 Brooks Carey 48–47 .505 7th 4th 12.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2015 Brooks Carey 61–35 .635 2nd 1st – 0–2 .000 Lost West Division Championship (Traverse City) 2016 Brooks Carey 45–50 .474 7th 5th 17.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2017 Brooks Carey 48–48 .500 7th 4th 13.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2018 Billy Horn 48–47 .505 7th 4th 3.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify Normal CornBelters of the Prospect League Season Manager Record Win % League Division GB Post-season record Post-season win % Post-season result Notes 2019 Rick White 21–39 .394 9th 5th 22.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2020 Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) 2021 Calvin Peacock 31–29 .517 6th 1st – 0–1 .000 Lost Great River Division Championship (Clinton) 2022 Andy Turner 31–28 .525 6th 1st – 0–1 .000 Lost Great River Division Championship (Quincy) 2023 Andy Turner 27–30 .474 10th 2nd 6.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2024 Billy DuBois 28–27 .509 10th 3rd 4.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify 2025 Billy DuBois 24–31 .436 13th 2nd 12.0 0–1 .000 Lost Central Division Championship (Terre Haute) 2026 Billy DuBois 33–22 .600 5th 3rd 1.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify Totals 610–652 .483 0–5 .000

Roster

References

External links Normal CornBelters