Windy City ThunderBolts To Host 2023 Frontier League All-Star Game

CRESTWOOD, IL — The Windy City ThunderBolts have been selected as host for the 2023 Frontier League All-Star game and related events. The league’s 30th annual mid-summer classic is scheduled for Wednesday, July 12, at Crestwood’s Ozinga Field, 14011 S. Kenton Ave., Crestwood. This marks the first time in over two decades that the All-Star game has been played in the Chicago Southland.

A Skills Competition will be held July 11 prior to the big game the next day. This first-of-its-kind event will showcase the league’s best players as they square off in bunting, throwing and hitting competitions and end with the traditional home run derby.

The following night, the league’s best players will gather for the main event, the 2023 Frontier League All-Star Game. In addition to the game, fans will enjoy other activities including face painting, balloon artists and the nationally recognized mascot inflatable show “ZOOperstars!” The night concludes with a massive firework spectacular.

All of the All-Star events will involve several South Side charities, with the Skills Competition teams and the All-Star Game teams competing to raise funds on-behalf of their respective charity.
This will be the second time that Crestwood has played host to the Frontier League All-Star Game. The Cook County Cheetahs hosted it at Hawkinson Ford Field, (now Ozinga Field), in 2001 when over 2,800 fans came out to see the East defeat the West 4-1.

“As a lifelong Southsider, I cannot overstate how excited our organization is to bring the Frontier League All-Star Game back to Ozinga Field for the first time in over twenty years,” ThunderBolts General Manager Mike VerSchave said in a news release. “We look forward to hosting this prestigious event, making the Frontier League, the Village of Crestwood and the Chicago Southland proud.”

The Frontier League has been in operation since 1993 and has produced 50 future Major Leaguers. Last year’s All-Star Game in Washington, Pennsylvania featured three players that were signed to Major League organizations shortly afterward.

“The Frontier League is excited to head to the South Side of Chicago to showcase the talent in the league,” said Frontier League President Eric Krupa. "The Windy City ThunderBolts staff have been working for more than a year in order to put together one of the most anticipated events on the baseball calendar."

In addition to the ThunderBolts, only the Evansville Otters and Gateway Grizzlies were members of the league since Crestwood’s last All-Star event 22 years ago. The ThunderBolts, Crestwood and the Chicago Southland will showcase themselves to a brand new audience in 2023 as the league’s 16-team reach now includes the Midwest and Northeastern United States, as well as three teams in Canada.

More information on the 2023 Frontier League All-Star Game and related events can be found in the ThunderBolts’ official 2023 All-Star Game Guide.

Ticket information and additional details of All-Star week will be announced in the coming weeks as Crestwood welcomes the baseball world to the Chicago Southland this July.
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