ThunderBolts Baseball Bring Some Vipers to Crestwood Illinois for 2012

Ex Calgary Viper manager and current ThunderBolt manager Morgan Burkhart has brought over three of his ex players to Crestwood for the 2012 baseball season. 

Outfielder Bryan Burke signed with the Vipers in 2011 and set his career best in batting average hitting .302 last season.

Shortstop Louis Templeton spent his rookie season in Calgary last summer hitting .289 with 5 home runs in 2011.

Right handed pitcher Stephen Whalen pitched for four different teams in three season, the latest being in Calgary in 2011.  In 14 games at Calgary Whalen went 7-5 with a 5.13 ERA.

The T-Bolts also signed right handed pitcher Bobby O'Neil after O'Neil was release from rookie ball with the Twins in 2011.

The ThunderBolts play their home games at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood Illinois and open their 2012 baseball season on May 14th 2012.

Windy City ThunderBolts Baseball HIres Morgan Burkhart as Field Manager for 2012

The Windy City ThunderBolts announced that Morgan Burkhart will take over as Field Manager for the 2012 season.  Burkhart takes over for Mike Kashirsky who managed the Bolts the last two seasons.

Burkhart spent the last three seasons managing the Calgary Vipers of the new North American Baseball League.

The Windy City ThunderBolts are an independent baseball team that is located in Crestwood Illinois.

Windy City ThunderBolts Baseball Updates 2011 Roster

The Windy City ThunderBolts have been busy updating their roster over the past few weeks with the most recent addition being first baseman Matt Huggins.

Huggins comes over from the St. George RoadRunners of the Golden Baseball League.  Huggins hit .278 with 3 doubles and 3 triples in 20 games in 2010.

The TBolts also signed Kurtis Frymier, Brad Decater and Zach Piccola within the last two week.

RHP Frymier comes from the Oakland County Cruisers where he pitched 15 innings, collected 2 saves and struck out 14.

Decater is an infielder who played for the Bluefield Orioles, a rookie league team in the Appalachian League, hit .213 with 10 doubles and 11 rbi's in 45 games.

LHP Piccola spent the 2009 season with the ThunderBolts and makes his return from the Chicago White Sox organization (Kannapolis) in 2010 to Crestwood this summer.  Piccola pitched in 21 games with Kannapolis with a 7.88 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 32 innings.

Mike Kashirsky Returns as ThunderBolts Field Manager for 2011

The Windy City ThunderBolts announced that field manager Mike Kashirsky signed a contract extension through the 2011 season.

Kash has been with the ThunderBolts since the 2004 season where he started as a bench coach until mid-way through the 2008 season where he was named interim field manager.

The Bolts finished 56-38 last summer.

Three Windy City ThunderBolts Sign With MLB Clubs

The Windy City Thunderbolts announced three more players have their contracts picked up by MLB clubs. 

Pitchers Andrew Werner and Rod Scurry have been picked up by the San Diego Padres and Pitcher Ryan Bollinger has been signed by the Chicago White Sox.

The ThunderBolts have had 16 players signed by Major League organizations since the start of the 2009 season.

 

Southern Illinois Miners and Windy City Thunderbolts Seasons End Early

The Southern Illinois Miners and the Windy City Thunderbolts end their seasons in the first round of the Frontier League Playoffs.

The Thunderbolts season came to an end in the East Division thanks to the Travers City Beach Bums capturing the series 3 games to 1 with a 5-3 victory.

In the West Division, the Southern Illinois Miners held a 2-0 series lead before falling in game five 3-0 to the River City Rascals.

Both the Miners and the Thunderbolts captured the best records in their divisions, Miners going 64-32 and Thunderbolts at 56-38.



 

ThunderBolts Baseball Sign Kent Gerst

Baseball in Illinois News

The Windy City ThunderBolts have recently signed Kent Gerst to handle the centerfield duties for the 2010 season. 

Kent Gerst is a left-handed outfielder from O’Fallon, MO, home of the ThunderBolts’ rival, the River City Rascals. Although Kent is only 22 years old, he brings an abundance of affiliated baseball experience to the ThunderBolts organization. He began his professional career in 2006 (drafted in the 8th round by the Chicago White Sox) with the Bristol White Sox of the rookie class, Appalachian League. In his two years spent there, he batted .258, with 31 RBI and 21 stolen bases.

Mejia, Restko and Sullivan Return for The Thunderbolts

Baseball in Illinois News

Gilberto Mejia has been a key piece to the ThunderBolts roster since 2007. Gilberto, a resident of the Dominican Republic, was the 2009 league leader in stolen bases and triples, with 47 and 10 respectively. The switch-hitter advanced as high as AA with the Detroit Tigers organization in 2005.


J.T. Restko, the product of local Marist High School, will once again be covering the first base duties for the ThunderBolts for a second straight year. Restko was a 10th round selection by the Marlins in 2003. His best season was in 2005, where he had a .313 average with 15 home runs and 70 runs batted in for the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The 2009 Frontier League All-Star had a .334 batting average, which was 4th in the league. The 6’5” righty had big power numbers for the ThunderBolts last season with 18 home runs and 76 runs batted in. J.T. should be a reliable force in the middle of the lineup.

The third member of the trio is outfielder Mike Sullivan. Sullivan was selected in the 2006 draft by the Detroit Tigers. He spent two years in their organization before finding his way to the Frontier League. After starting the 2008 season with the Evansville Otters, the ThunderBolts acquired the lefty batter at the 2008 All-Star break as a free agent. He batted .363 and helped lead Windy City to a Championship in 2008. Sullivan’s 2009 season was shortened due to a shoulder injury. He only played in 14 games, but did bat .360 with 16 runs batted in. Sullivan looks to have a healthy and productive 2010 season in Crestwood.

 

Michael O'Leary Signs With ThunderBolts Baseball

Baseball in Illinois News Sources

The Windy City ThunderBolts’ newest signing is no stranger to the suburban Chicago baseball scene. Michael O’Leary will be joining the ballclub for the ThunderBolts 2010 season. O’Leary is a 23 year old, left-handed pitcher who graduated from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois.


After earning All-Conference, All-Area, and All-County honors at Carmel  High, he pitched two seasons for the College of Lake County Lancers. Once again, O’Leary proved to be successful and picked up All-Conference and All-District awards. In his career at the suburban junior college; he pitched 128.2 innings with an earned run average of 3.93 and struck out 97 batters.

O’Leary’s next stop was Trinity International University located in Deerfield, IL. He pitched one season there before transferring to the University of Northern Iowa. The UNI Panthers are a Division I program in
the Missouri Valley Conference. In his final season as a college athlete, O’Leary appeared in 16 games and had a record of 2 wins and 4 losses. He sported a 5.11 ERA, while accumulating 25 strikeouts.

When O’Leary takes the field for the ThunderBolts in 2010 it will not be his first time as a Frontier League player. He had a brief stint with the Midwest Sliders last season, while only pitching in 2 games. O’Leary has
had many successful seasons in the Chicagoland area and hopefully next year will be no different. As the 2010 season approaches, he will be calling Crestwood home and trying to help the ThunderBolts win a third
Frontier League Championship.

Bolts Sign Two Ballplayers to 2010 Contracts

From Baseball in Illinois News Sources


The ThunderBolts have signed Eddie Pavese and Diego Soto to 2010 contracts.

 Eddie Pavese was a two year starter for the Cabrillo College Seahawks where he started at second base. The switch hitter batted .350 and led his team in homeruns his first year at Cabrillo. Pavese earned All-Coast Conference honors and was the team's co-captain.  Pavese played in the Florida Winter Baseball League this past October with ThunderBolts teammates, Matt Jernstad and Sam Palace.

 The ThunderBolts signed Diego Soto to a contract after receiving the right handed pitcher in a trade with the Wichita Wing Nuts. In his first professional season with the Wing Nuts, Soto appeared in 10 games, going 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA. Opponents batted just .154 against him. Before being signed by the Wing Nuts, Soto finished his college career at Emporia State University. Soto went 6-2 out of the bullpen for the Hornets in 2009, posting a 2.76 ERA. In 32 appearances, Soto notched a team high 12 saves, while striking out 48 in 42.1 innings pitched. Diego helped the Hornets reach the Division II Championship game. The ThunderBolts are adding a solid arm to the bullpen with the signing of Soto.

Matt Jernstad and Zach Piccola Sign With White Sox

From Baseball in Illinois News Sources

Two Left handers from the Windy City Thunderbolts are signed by the Chicago White Sox. 

Matt Jernstad was acquired from the Joliet JackHammers during the 2008 season. In his short time with the ThunderBolts in 2008, he pitched 7 strong innings and had an ERA of 1.29. The left hander was a member of the 2008 Frontier League Champion Windy City ThunderBolts. Jernstad, who is a resident of Oswego, Illinois, produced stellar numbers in 2009. He had a record of 7-4 and an ERA of 2.31 in 78 innings pitched. He struck out 97 batters and only walked 23. Jernstad showed great control of his pitches which made him stand out to the White Sox. When asked about the opportunity, Jernstad said, “Being signed by the White Sox is a great accomplishment. I had such an awesome time in Windy City, the players were all great and the coaches really helped me out.”


Zach Piccola was another southpaw signed by the White Sox. Piccola, who hails from Bedford, NH, played two years of affiliated baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization in 2006 and 2007. In 2009, Piccola was acquired late in the year by the ThunderBolts. He pitched in 8 games and faced a total of 40 batters and only allowed 11 to reach base. Piccola had an ERA 3.72 and struck out 13 batters. Both of these left-handed pitchers look to make an impact in the White Sox organization in 2010.

Mike O'Leary Signs with The Windy City Thunderbolts

From Baseball in Illinois News Sources

CHICAGO, IL - Former Trinity International left-handed pitcher, Mike O'Leary, signed a professional baseball contract with the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League on Tuesday. O'Leary last pitched for the Trojans during the 1996 season.


Since finishing his college ball, Mike has pitched for Ypsilanti Sliders of the Frontier League during the 2009 season. He also maintains work in baseball through private lessons and assists the baseball program at Trinity.

O' Leary attended Carmel High School in Mundelien, IL. During his years there, he earned all-conference, all-area and all-county first-team selections.

Mike was also an all-conference and all-district pitcher for College of Lake County before transferring to Trinity in the Fall of 1995.

Thunderbolts Host SouthSide Challenge

From Baseball in Illinois News Sources

Date: Sunday April 11, 2010

Time: 10:00 AM


See the best high school baseball in the Southland as the ThunderBolts and Marist High School host this great event now in it's second year. Once again teams from the Chicago Catholic League will battle teams from the East Suburban Conference.

The 2010 Schedule:
10 am: Providence Celtics -vs- Marian Catholic Spartans
1 pm: Mt. Carmel Caravan -vs- Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers
4 pm: St. Rita Mustangs -vs- Carmel Corsairs
7 pm: Brother Rice Crusaders -vs- Marist Redhawks

Windy City Thunderbolts Perry Signs with the Rockies

wcthunderbolts.com: Press Releases: "Bolts' Outfielder Robert Perry signs with Rockies"

The Windy City ThunderBolts professional baseball team has announced that the contract for outfielder Robert Perry has been purchased by the Colorado Rockies. Robert Perry began his playing career after being signed by the San Diego Padres in 2007. After starting the 2007 season with the Padres Rookie ballclub, Perry was promoted to the Padres Single-A affiliate Fort Wayne. Perry was signed by the ThunderBolts on June 27th after beginning the season with Single-A San Diego Padres affiliate Lake Elsinore of the California League.


In 61 games with the ThunderBolts, Perry batted an impressive .397 compiling 83 hits in just over 200 at bats. Perry proved to be a stellar defensive player as he committed just 2 errors in 112 chances. Perry ranked third on the team with 20 stolen bases and tied a Frontier League record with six hits in a game against the Gateway Grizzlies on July 30th.

Perry joins pitchers Nick Hall (San Diego Padres), Shane Zegarac (Texas Rangers), Brendan Kloess (Chicago White Sox), Dylan Axelrod (Chicago White Sox), and Sean Heimpel (San Diego Padres) as ThunderBolts’ who have moved to affiliated ball since the start of the 2009 season.

ThunderBolts Field Manager, Mike Kashirsky was very excited when he heard that the Rockies were interested in his outfielder. Kashirsky said, “I am very excited for Robert being picked up by Colorado. He had a great year for the Thunderbolts last season and was a huge part in us making the playoffs. Although I was looking forward to him being a Bolt next season I couldn't be happier for him. He is a tremendous person and his work ethic was one of the best I have seen. He deserves it.”