The Joliet Slammers are a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois. The Slammers compete in the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB) as a member of the West Division in the Midwest Conference. The team plays their home games at the Slammers Stadium, 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 four NAPB teams located in the Chicago metropolitan area, along with the Windy City ThunderBolts, Schaumburg Boomers, and Kane County Cougars.

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 Joliet SlammersSeasonRecordWin %FinishManagerPlayoffs2011 56–40 .583 1st Bart Zeller Won Division Series vs. Lake Erie Crushers, 3–0 Won Frontier League Championship vs. River City Rascals, 3–12012 37–58 .389 6th Bart Zeller Did not qualify2013 38–57 .400 6th Mike Breyman Did not qualify2014 40–56 .417 6th Jeff Isom Did not qualify2015 42–54 .438 5th Jeff Isom Did not qualify2016 51–45 .531 1st Jeff Isom Lost Division Series vs. Evansville Otters, 3–12017 42–54 .438 5th Jeff Isom Did not qualify2018 54–42 .563 2nd Jeff Isom Won Division Series vs. River City Rascals, 3–2 Won Frontier League Championship vs. Washington Wild Things, 3–22019 40–56 .417 4th Jeff Isom Did not qualify2020 21-5 .807 1st Billy Petrick Won City of Champions Cup (Non-Frontier League)2021 39–56 .417 4th Aaron Nieckula Did not qualify2022 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 2025 43–52 .453 5th Mike Pinto Did not qualify 2026 42–60 .412 4th Mike Pinto Did not qualifyTotals 632–740 .478 — — 13–8 Playoff record 3 playoff appearances, 2 Division series wins, 2 Frontier League championships

Single season records Statistics as of the completion of the 2024 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 83 Matt Warkentin 2024 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 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 Team Statistics and Rosters