Joliet Slammers

• Location: Joliet, IL
• League: Frontier League 2011-2019, 2021-; City of Champions Cup 2020
• Affiliation: Independent Leagues
• Ballpark: Duly Health and Care Field

Team History

The Joliet Slammers joined the Frontier League in 2011; they were originally the Joliet JackHammers of the Northern League but changed leagues and names when the Northern League disbanded after the 2010 season. They won the Frontier League championship in their first season.

The team derives its name from the Joliet Correctional Center, formerly the Illinois State Penitentiary, which closed down in 2002 after being in service for almost 150 years. The facility featured in the cult film The Blues Brothers and is now open to visitors as the "Old Joliet Prison" and is on the National Register of Historical Sites. In 2026, the Slammers decided to go back to their roots by scheduling a pre-season exhibition game to be played in the prison's courtyard on April 30th. The game was part of ceremonies to celebrate the centennial of Route 66, which runs past the facility. There was some historical veracity to the promotion, which attracted 5,500 fans, as baseball games were regularly played by inmates on that courtyard when the facility was in operation.

In 2024, the team was acquired by minor league promoter Mike Veeck, his son "Night Train" Veeck and actor Bill Murray. They immediately set about doing what they do best - running outrageous promotions, such as dropping thousands of hot dogs from a helicopter into a sold-out crown in 2024, or setting the aforementioned prison game.

Year-by-Year Record

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
2011	56-40	3rd	Bart Zeller	League Champs
2012	37-58	12th	Bart Zeller
2013	38-57	12th	Mike Breyman
2014	40-56	10th (t)	Jeff Isom
2015	42-54	9th (t)	Jeff Isom
2016	51-45	3rd	Jeff Isom	Lost in 1st Round
2017	42-54	9th	Jeff Isom
2018	54-42	1st (t)	Jeff Isom	League Champs
2019	39-56	9th	Jeff Isom
2020	season cancelled
2021	39-56	12th (t)	Aaron Nieckula
2022	49-47	9th (t)	Daniel Schlereth
2023	46-50	11th	Daniel Schlereth

Further Reading

• Benjamin Hill: "Joliet Slammers play game at an abandoned prison for 5,500 fans, including Bill Murray", mlb.com, May 1, 2026. [1]
• Josh Jackson: "Joliet Slammers — owned by Veecks, Bill Murray -- to play game in prison from 'The Blues Brothers'", mlb.com, December 16, 2025. [2]

Related Sites

• Official website of the Joliet Slammers