Joliet Slammers, Joliet

The Frontier League, which counts the Joliet Slammers, Schaumburg Boomers and Windy City Thunderbolts among its teams, suspended its 2020 season.

The Slammers were the current Frontier League champions and will hold onto that title a year longer. Meanwhile, baseball continues at DuPage Medical Group Field this summer with the City of Champions Cup.

Four teams — Joliet Tully Monsters, Chicago Deep Dish, Nerds Herd and Slammers — will compete this summer with players from the Slammers and other Frontier League teams.

“Our teams are all over the country and travel would suspend the season,” said Kaitlyn Altmann, marketing and promotions manager. “But this was an opportunity to do our own thing. And we thought, ‘Hey, let’s put together a league!’”

All games will be played in Joliet, which keeps players safe because it eliminated the need for travel, Altmann said. Games will be Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with doubleheaders on Saturdays and Sundays.

The stadium is busy this summer with the inaugural season of the City of Champions Cup and youth travel teams playing weekdays.

Temperatures are checked upon on entry and if fans are not allowed to enter they can receive a ticket for a different game, Altmann said. Fans can buy tickets and all concessions online, choosing from a menu of classic ballpark items. Once the order is ready, patrons will

Schaumburg Boomers

Even though the Frontier League suspended the 2020 season for the Boomers, the stadium is the training site for the White Sox taxi squad. If MLB players are injured, teams call on the taxi squad for players.

“As everything unfolded, we kept full-time staff and were thinking of different ways to utilize the field. We had regular meetings and came up with 100-plus things we couldn’t use (because of the shutdown), but while in that mindset, things presented themselves quicker than we could create them,” said Michael Larson, team vice president.

That included hosting one of the area’s first drive-through graduation ceremonies this past spring. Two local high schools, Conant and Schaumburg, planned parking lot ceremonies, until the Boomers’ groundskeeper suggested that cars filled with graduates could drive around the field.

While restaurants were closed to indoor dining, Boomers Stadium offered socially distant dining a couple nights a week earlier this summer.

“When the state moved to phase three in June, we realized what’s this ballpark for other than baseball?” Larson said.

Instead of balancing a hot dog and beer on your lap in the seat, food was served restaurant-style in every other suite or at tables on the concourse.

And of course, fireworks are part of the festivities at Boomers Stadium, whether the team is home or away.

“We realized there would be no baseball on the Fourth of July. But we had fireworks, and we can replicate that here,” Larson said.

So this year, Schaumburg residents got first crack at buying either VIP spots inside the stadium or tickets in the parking lot for two evening fireworks shows. Response was so great that a third night was added.

That led to Carpool Concerts in the parking lot, with the next shows on Aug. 6-8 with Smells Like Nirvana, Hairbanger’s Ball and Local H. Tickets are $30-$50; VIP $60-$100.

Also planned at the stadium in early August are drive-in watch parties for when the Blackhawks take on the Edmonton Oilers. Tickets are $40-$80.

“People are required to wear a mask for concessions and walking around,” Larson said. “Overall it’s been positive, with 95% positive feedback, and a lot of attention regionally. Even national attention.”

Windy City ThunderBolts, Crestwood

With the season canceled and very limited capacity per Illinois guidelines, the Thunderbolts aren’t able to play this year. However, the playing field itself is busy with travel ball tournaments, community baseball and men’s league baseball. These groups will play ball through November.

“We have a synthetic turf so we can pack as many events on the field itself as possible,” said Mike VerSchave, general manager of the South Side’s minor league baseball team.

Area stadiums have also hosted community blood drives, and one was held at Ozinga Field in July.

Gary SouthShore RailCats

The Gary SouthShore RailCats is part of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball league, the same as the Chicago Dogs. However, the RailCats’ season was canceled.

This summer the ballpark opened for

Family Nights at the Steel Yard for live music and tailgating. The next one will be Aug. 15 with “Frozen II” and fireworks. Fans can buy “socially distant family spaces.” Tickets are $8.

A new adult coed Sport and Social Club will offer recreational softball leagues and adult kickball this summer.

“We are dedicated to providing the region with a safe, family environment this summer,” said Brian Flenner, RailCats general manager. “We will support our community by working through this pandemic together by opening our ballpark for special events this summer.”

Kane County Cougars, Geneva

This summer would have marked the 30th anniversary season of the Kane County Cougars.

“Next year will be our 30-ish year. We’re trying to tread water and get through this rough patch,” said Curtis Haug, vice president and general manager. “We had so many promotions and fun things planned. We’re doing this best we can, but we lost our season. It will be 17 months from our last game to our next game. And our players work their butts off all year.”

Kane County Cougars is a Class A minor league and has been affiliated with six major league teams, including the Cubs. The Cougars, now affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks, are the only area team with an MLB affiliation.

Haug said besides a blood drive, yard sale and other community fundraisers, high school and college baseball teams will play at Northwestern Medicine Field this summer.

Ballpark tours are also available Tuesdays and Thursdays. “Fans can get behind the scenes and tour the clubhouse and press box, dugout, go onto the field, batting cages and music areas,” Haug said. Tickets for the 90-minute tour are $20.

St. Charles North High School hosted a graduation parade, and Haug said a letter he received from a grateful mother reminded him of “how cool of a platform we have.”