The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The JackHammers were a member of the
Northern League, which is not affiliated with
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
. From 2002 to 2010, the JackHammers played their home games at
Silver Cross Field
Duly Health and Care Field, formerly known as Silver Cross Field and Joliet Route 66 Stadium, is a baseball field located in Joliet, Illinois. The stadium was built in 2002 and holds 6,016 people. It is the home of the Joliet Slammers.
In Decemb ...
.
History
Their first season was the 2002 season and the Jackhammers had been preceded in Joliet by the minor league
Joliet Convicts, who began play in 1890. The Jackhammers first playoff appearance came in their first season.
The 2008 Jackhammers were managed by one time Arizona Diamondback managerial candidate
Wally Backman. The primary radio announcer was Jon Versteeg.
The Jackhammers, in response to extremely low attendance in 2009, had a total makeover to start the 2010 season. Everything, from the roster and management, all the way down to the uniforms, was re-done. Their offseason advertising campaign was also very aggressive, and included everything from newspaper ads to billboards. The Jackhammers made the playoffs for the first time in 8 years, making the season a success performance-wise. They still lagged in attendance, averaging about 3,500 fans a game, 4th in the league.
:Founded: 2002
:Playoff appearances: 2002, 2010
:Divisional titles won: 2002
:League Championships won: None
The team was sold in December 2010 after months of negotiations to Steel City Baseball LLC. Steel City bought all assets to the team seeing as they owed $220,000 to the city. With the sale, none of the unpaid bills will be paid off. Steel City changed the team's name for the 2011 season, and the team joined the
Frontier League. On January 12, 2011 GM John Dittrich announced for the 2011 season the new team would be called the
Joliet Slammers. The team will continue to use
Silver Cross Field
Duly Health and Care Field, formerly known as Silver Cross Field and Joliet Route 66 Stadium, is a baseball field located in Joliet, Illinois. The stadium was built in 2002 and holds 6,016 people. It is the home of the Joliet Slammers.
In Decemb ...
as their home venue.
Year-by-year record
Final roster
References
yearly league standings & awards nlfan.com
article on the sale chicagoist.com
External links
Joliet JackHammersofficial site
nlfan.com Joliet JackHammers' Guide
{{Illinois Sports
2002 establishments in Illinois
2010 disestablishments in Illinois
Defunct baseball teams in Illinois
Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010) teams
Professional baseball teams in Illinois
Baseball teams established in 2002
Baseball teams disestablished in 2010
Sports teams in Joliet, Illinois
Defunct independent baseball league teams