Schaumburg Boomers

Schaumburg Boomers
Team logo Cap insignia
League Frontier League (2012–present) (West Division)
Location Schaumburg, Illinois
Ballpark Schaumburg Boomers Stadium (2012–present)
Year founded 2011
League championships 2013, 2014
Division championships 2013, 2014
Colors Black, orange, white
              
Ownership Salvi Sports Enterprises
Manager Jamie Bennett
General Manager Pete Leven
Media Daily Herald
Website www.boomersbaseball.com
2012 Schaumburg Boomers All-Stars

The Schaumburg Boomers are a professional baseball team, based in Schaumburg, Illinois, that began play in the independent Frontier League on May 18, 2012 with their first home game coming a week later on May 25. Home games are played at Schaumburg Baseball Stadium. The Boomers replaced the now defunct Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League after the franchise was evicted for not paying almost $1 million in back rent.[1]

The "Boomers" nickname comes from a common nickname for males of the greater prairie chicken species, a bird which was once abundant in the Midwest but is now a vulnerable species. That bird's nickname comes from the dance these males do in order to attract females for mating purposes. The Boomers carry on the mascot's tradition by performing a reenactment of the prairie chicken's dance in between innings during games.

History

Originally, the team was set to play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball under the ownership of Joliet Slammers principal owner Alan Oremus; however, Oremus sold the team to Gary SouthShore RailCats owner Pat Salvi, who moved the team to the Frontier League because of his loyalty to the RailCats and lack of interest in setting up a conflict should the two teams play against each other.[2] Under Oremus's ownership, the team had held a name-the-team contest, with the winner selecting "Mallers". After the ownership change, however, the Boomers name, logo, and colors were unveiled on October 18, 2011.[3]

The games are broadcast on WRMN (1410 AM, Elgin, Illinois) by Boomers broadcaster Tim Calderwood.[4][5]

Shortstop Gerard Hall recorded the first hit in Boomers history in a 4-0 shutout against the Lake Erie Crushers in Avon, Ohio in the franchise's first-ever regular season game. Outfielder Jereme Milons had the first extra-base hit in team history with a double to centerfield in the same game.

The Boomers won their home debut with a 5-2 victory over the Florence Freedom in front of 6,067 fans at Boomers Stadium. Outfielder Nate Baumann hit the first home run at Boomers Stadium with a two-run blast to left in the five-run sixth inning.

The Schaumburg Boomers won the 2013 Frontier League Championship in September 2013, becoming the first team in Frontier League history to finish the playoffs undefeated (in this case 6-0 as they won two best-of-5 series). They defeated the Lake Erie Crushers in the championship final.

The Boomers again won the 2014 Frontier League Championship, winning back-to-back titles. They beat the Southern Illinois Miners 2 games to 1 in the Divisional round, and beat the River City Rascals 3 games to 1 to win the Title.

Inaugural season

The Boomers finished the first half of their inaugural season as the Frontier League West Division Leaders with a record of 29-19. The team had a total of 10 representatives appear in the 2012 Frontier League All-Star game in Normal, Illinois. Manager Jamie Bennett managed the West Division squad and was joined by his coaching staff, Mike Kashirsky, Paul Kubon, C.J. Thieleke, and team trainer Scott Waehler. Schaumburg's Frank Pfister was selected as the West Division's starting third-baseman, and was joined by outfielders Sean Mahley and Chad Mozingo and pitchers Cameron Roth and Patrick Mincey.[6]

Mascot

Coop, the mascot of the Schaumburg Boomers

The mascot of the Schaumburg Boomers is Coop the boomer. Coop is portrayed by a person dressed in a prairie chicken costume.[7][8]

Current roster

Schaumburg Boomers roster
Active (24-man) roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 14 Brandon Bargas
  • 18 Edwin Carl
  • 41 Eddie Cody
  • 29 Anthony Gomez
  • 26 Jake Joyce
  • 10 Clark Labitan
  • 22 Brett Mabry
  • 16 Hideyoshi Otake
  • 38 Scott Plaza
  • 37 Dexter Price
  • 25 Zach Wendorf
  

Catchers

  • 24 Chris Matthews
  •  7 Michael Valadez

Infielders

  • 17 Evan Boyd
  • 30 Jordan Dean
  • 12 Joel Hutter
  • 11 Craig Massey
  • 20 Mark Nelson
  • 19 Mike Schulze
  • 21 Cam Sherrer
  •  9 Ryan Tuntland

Outfielders

  •  5 Alex Colon
  • 15 Tillman Pugh
  • 23 Justin Vasquez
  

Manager

  • 27 Jamie Bennett

Coaches

  • 36 Bill Fratto (assistant)
  • 22 T. J. Nall (pitching)
  • 55 Cameron Roth (hitting)
  • 45 Derek Shoman (bullpen)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

Roster updated May 15, 2015
Transactions

References

  1. ↑ Jaworski, Jim (January 11, 2012). "After Flyers, Schaumburg Boomers Get Ready to Play Ball". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  2. ↑ http://m.nwitimes.com/mobile/article_ed674485-4bbb-539d-bbc1-346fcef8c177.html
  3. ↑ Peterson, Eric (October 3, 2011). "Schaumburg Baseball Team to Be Named Oct. 18". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Sports Schedule". WRMN 1410. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Tim Calderwood".
  6. ↑ "Boomers All-Stars".
  7. ↑ Reichard, Kevin (February 10, 2012). "Boomers Unveil New Mascot in Time for Valentine's Day: Coop". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Fan Zone – Coop the Boomer". Schaumburg Boomers. Retrieved October 7, 2016.

External links

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