The Schaumburg Boomers are a professional baseball team based in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Boomers compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the West Division in the Midwest Conference and have won four league championships since their founding in 2011. They are the Frontier League's team with the most titles since their existence. Since 2011, the team has played their home games at the Wintrust Field, which they share with the Dominican Stars, a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the NCAA. The Boomers replaced the now defunct Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League after the franchise was evicted for not paying almost US$1 million in back rent.[1]
| Schaumburg Boomers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Information | |||||
| League | Frontier League (West Division) | ||||
| Location | Schaumburg, Illinois | ||||
| Ballpark | Wintrust Field | ||||
| Founded | 2011 | ||||
| League championships | 4 (2013, 2014, 2017, 2021) | ||||
| Division championships | 3 (2013, 2017, 2021) | ||||
| Colors | Black, orange, white | ||||
| Playoff berths |
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| Ownership | Patrick "Pat" Salvi | ||||
| Manager | Jamie Bennett | ||||
| General Manager | Michael Larson | ||||
| Media | Daily Herald | ||||
| Website | boomersbaseball | ||||
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
editOriginally, the team was set to play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball under the ownership of rival 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 winning selection of "Mallers". After the ownership change, however, the Boomers name, logo, and colors were unveiled on October 18, 2011.[3]
The first signed roster player was infielder Andrew Cohn of Emory University. 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 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. 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.[4]
The Schaumburg Boomers won the 2013 Frontier League championship in September 2013, becoming the first team in league history to finish the playoffs undefeated (in this case 6–0 as they won two best-of-five 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.
The Boomers also won the 2017 Frontier League championship by defeating the Evansville Otters in the first round 3 games to 1, and beat the Florence Freedom, also 3 games to 1, in the championship round to win the title.
The Boomers won their fourth title by winning the 2021 Frontier League championship as they beat the Florence Y'alls in the first round 3 games to 1, and defeating the Washington Wild Things 3 games to 2 in the championship round.
Season-by-season records
edit| Schaumburg Boomers seasons (2012–present) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Record | Average | Finished | Playoffs | |
| 2012 | 54–42 | .563 | 3rd in FL West | Did not qualify | |
| 2013 | 59–37 | .615 | 1st in FL West | Won Divisional Round over Florence Freedom 3–0 Won Championship over Lake Erie Crushers 3–0 | |
| 2014 | 61–35 | .635 | 2nd in FL West | Won Divisional Round over Southern Illinois Miners 2–1 Won Championship over River City Rascals 3–1 | |
| 2015 | 40–56 | .417 | 7th in FL West | Did not qualify | |
| 2016 | 41–55 | .427 | 6th in FL East | Did not qualify | |
| 2017 | 66–30 | .688 | 1st in FL East | Won First Round over Evansville Otters 3–1 Won Championship over Florence Freedom 3–1 | |
| 2018 | 45–51 | .469 | 4th in FL East | Did not qualify | |
| 2019 | 47–49 | .490 | 2nd in FL East | Did not qualify | |
| 2020 | - | - | - | Season not played due to COVID-19 | |
| 2021 | 51–45 | .531 | 1st in FL Central | Won First Round over Florence Y'alls 3–1 Won Championship over Washington Wild Things 3-2 | |
| 2022 | 54–43 | .557 | 2nd in FL Central | Won Wild Card Game over Evansville Otters 5-1 Won Divisional Round over Washington Wild Things 2-0 Lost Championship to Québec Capitales 3–1 | |
| 2023 | 54–41 | .568 | 2nd in FL Central | Lost Wild Card Game over Evansville Otters 4-3 | |
| 2024 | 51–45 | .531 | 4th in FL West | Did not qualify | |
| Totals | 569–488 | .540 | 20–4 | ||
Radio
editGames are broadcast on WRMN (1410 AM, Elgin, Illinois) by Boomers broadcaster Tim Calderwood.[5][6]
Mascot
edit
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
edit| Active roster | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Notable alumni
edit- Justin Erasmus (2014)
- Jake Cousins (2019)
- Willy García (2021)
- Braxton Davidson (2021–2022)
References
edit- ^ Jaworski, Jim (January 11, 2012). "After Flyers, Schaumburg Boomers Get Ready to Play Ball". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- ^ "RailCats owner purchasing Schaumburg baseball team".
- ^ Peterson, Eric (October 3, 2011). "Schaumburg Baseball Team to Be Named Oct. 18". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- ^ "Boomers All-Stars". Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- ^ "Sports Schedule". WRMN 1410. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- ^ "Tim Calderwood". Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- ^ Reichard, Kevin (February 10, 2012). "Boomers Unveil New Mascot in Time for Valentine's Day: Coop". Ballpark Digest. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- ^ "Fan Zone – Coop the Boomer". Schaumburg Boomers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.