The Windy City ThunderBolts (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional baseball team based in Crestwood, Illinois. The ThunderBolts compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the West Division in the Midwest Conference. The team plays its home games at Ozinga Field.
During their last season in Midlothian, the ThunderBolts won their first ever league championship and went on to sweep the Tennessee Tomahawks in the 1998 Heartland League Championship Series. The ThunderBolts are currently one of the oldest teams in the Frontier League, along with the Evansville Otters, Gateway Grizzlies and Washington Wild Things.
History
The franchise known as the Windy City ThunderBolts started as the Will County Claws in 1995 and played their home games at Lewis University's Brennan Field in Romeoville. The Claws played in the struggling North Central League, which started in 1994 with six teams but fielded only four in 1995. The North Central League folded 18games into its second season with the Claws finishing at 8–10. In 1996, the Will County Cheetahs joined the new four-team Heartland League.
In winter 1997, the Cheetahs and the village of Crestwood, made a deal for Crestwood to build and own a new ballpark for the Cheetahs. Despite the high hopes for baseball in Crestwood for the 1998 season, it was quickly obvious that because of construction delays, the new park would not be ready. The Cheetahs needed a home field and with Romeoville not an option, neighboring Midlothian would be the solution to the Cheetahs' home field problem as they would play their 1998 season at tiny Howie Minas Field. In Midlothian, the Cheetahs would have one of their best seasons finishing in second place with a 37–29 record in the first half and earn a playoff spot for the first time in franchise history. In the Heartland League championship, the Cheetahs swept the heavily favored Tennessee Tomahawks 2 games to 0 to gain the franchise's first title.
The Heartland League started the 1998 season with six teams and finished with only four teams. The Cheetahs, now known as the Cook County Cheetahs, won the last ever Heartland League championship as the league folded after three seasons.
In 1999, the Cheetahs joined the stable Frontier League and have been members since. The team changed their name to the Windy City ThunderBolts. An ownership change instigated the name change. The ThunderBolts mascot "Boomer" was born May 21, 2004.
On August 26, 2007, the ThunderBolts won their first Central Division title. On September 17, 2007, they defeated the Washington Wild Things to win the Frontier League championship, three games to two. In 2008, they repeated a division title as the West Division champions and Frontier League champions, defeating the Kalamazoo Kings three games to none in the championship series. After heavy rains flooded Homer Stryker Field, the entire 2008 championship series was played at the Thunderbolts' Standard Bank Stadium. They thus became only the second Frontier League team to win back-to-back titles, joining the 2001–02 Richmond Roosters.
The ThunderBolts currently play at Ozinga Field (which was renamed from Standard Bank Stadium in 2018) which is located in Crestwood, Illinois. Ozinga Field is easily accessible from the south suburbs, located two blocks east of Cicero Avenue on the Midlothian Turnpike (1.5 miles south of I-294).[1]
On April 23, 2019, assistant general manager Mike VerSchave was named general manager. Having served as assistant general manager since 2014, VerSchave replaced former general manager Mike Lucas.
The club celebrated its 20th anniversary on the weekend of June 1–2, 2019. The team wore Cheetahs uniforms as a part of the celebrations.
On October 27, 2023, Former White Sox Closer and 2005 World Series Champion, Bobby Jenks, was named Field Manager. Jenks enthusiastically stated, "I believe I can do that and my track record has shown that I can do that".[2]
The San Diego Padres bought the rights to Cheetahs pitcher Chris Oxspring in 2000. He became the first player in franchise history to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in five games for the Padres in 2005.
In 2011, Dylan Axelrod became the first former ThunderBolt and second player in franchise history to play in MLB, having been called up by the Chicago White Sox.
On August 5, 2008, Isaac Hess threw the first no-hitter in ThunderBolts history. Tyson Corley threw the second on August 28, 2012.
Pitcher Andrew Werner became the third player in club history to make it to the majors when he started for the San Diego Padres in 2012.
Former major leaguer Josh Spence played with the ThunderBolts in 2014.
Tommy Nance played with Windy City in 2015. He later went on to be the fourth ThunderBolt alumnus to reach the Major Leagues when he debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 2021.
All 30 Major League Baseball teams have signed players out of the Frontier League. As of January 2023, the Cubs, Marlins, A's, Twins, Rays, Pirates, Blue Jays, Rangers, Padres and White Sox currently have former ThunderBolts' players or coaches in their organizations. There are a total of 50 players who have reached the Major Leagues after playing in the Frontier League.[3]
Rivalries
Schaumburg Boomers
The rivalry between the Windy City ThunderBolts and the Schaumburg Boomers is mainly due to the 37-mile distance between the two home fields, the Ozinga Field and the Wintrust Field. Both teams meet frequently during the regular season, and have shared some hostility towards each other. In 2012, the Windy City ThunderBolts met the Schaumburg Boomers in a regular season game and upset the Boomers by a score of 4–2. During the game, Boomers player Chase Fontaine was hit by pitch by ThunderBolts player Dustin Williams. As a result, Fontaine had to undergo facial reconstructive surgery and had to have his jaw wired shut for five weeks. The incident marked the beginning of a rivalry often considered one of the most intense in Frontier League history by the press and fans.
In the following season, in the last regular season game between the ThunderBolts and the Boomers, a bench clearing brawl occurred after a Boomers player was mocking the ThunderBolts pitcher after a home run. The game ended with nine ejections for both teams. The Boomers ended up winning the game in the bottom of the 9th inning 6–5 with a walk-off single.
The rivalry between the ThunderBolts and the Boomers was at its peak from 2012 to 2019, when the Boomers won two consecutive championships in a row and when they were facing each other six to eight series per year. After 2019, the rivalry between the two teams began to cool down, as the Frontier League was expanded to 16 teams. The Boomers moved to the Midwest Conference in the 2021 season as part of the realignment which makes the two rivals only see each other four series a year.
Seasons
Year
W–L
W%
Place
Postseason
Will County Claws (North Central League)
1995
8–10
.444
3rd
Did not qualify
Will County Cheetahs (Heartland League)
1996
28–31
.475
3rd
Did not qualify
1997
31–39
.442
3rd
Did not qualify
Cook County Cheetahs (Heartland League)
1998
37–29
.560
2nd
Heartland League Championship Series: Defeated the Tennessee Tomahawks 2–0.
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