2012 Media Guide

1 Will County CrackerJacks 2012 Media Guide


Team Name....................................Will County CrackerJacksMailing Address..................PO Box 732, Plainfield, IL, 60544Office Phone Number....................................(815) 704-2255 Email Address.....................info@crackerjacksbaseball.comWebsite.................................www.crackerjacksbaseball.comHome Ballpark.......................Brennan Field, Lewis UniversityBallpark Address:One University Parkway, Romeoville, IL 60446Owner........................................Eloot Sports & EntertainmentPresident & General Manager.............................Jamie TooleDirector of Baseball Operations.........................Bob DernierManager................................................................Vern HastyAssociate Head Coach........................................Bob DernierAssistant Coach................................................Mike VucskoDirector of Broadcasting & Media Relations.....Mike GarabedianAsst. Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations..Josh GleasonMedia Relations Assistant..................................Derek WolffAssistant Director of Baseball Operations...Mark JablonskiSpecial Asst. to the General Manager...David “Yogi” WodopianDirector of Operations.......................................Kevin BloomDirector of Community Relations.............Jamie TeichmannSpecial Events Coordinator................................Scott MintaSales Associate..................................................Ryan FaganRetail Director.............................................Francesca AbatePlay-By-Play Broadcaster..........................Mike GarabedianBatgirl................................................................Megan BraunTwitter Page:www.twitter.com/willctybaseballFacebook Page:www.facebook.com/crackerjacksbaseballYouTube Page:www.youtube.com/crackerjacksradioRadio Coverage:www.ustream.tv/channel/will-county-crackerjacksLeague Name.....................Midwest Collegiate League (MCL)MCL Commissioner.........................................Don PopravakMCL Phone Number.......................................(312) 420-1268MCL Email Address:[email protected] Website...................www.midwestcollegiateleague.comMCL Clubs: Will County CrackerJacks, Southland Vikings, Rockford Foresters, Chicago Zephyrs, DuPage Hounds, Illinois Lincolns, DeKalb County Liners, Northwest Indiana Oilmen

The Will County CrackerJacksMission StatementCrackerJacks baseball is dedicated to continuing a tradition of excellence for the entire organization. We want to be a championship organization on and off the field and want to develop the premiere summer collegiate baseball opera-tion in the country. We want to have championship players on the field and championship people off of the field. We utilized the 2011 inaugural season to lay the ground work for the future success of the Will County CrackerJacks by winning the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Championship with fine student-athletes from all over the nation and a dedi-cated front office staff. We want to be an asset and anchor for our community and an organization that Will County can be proud of. We want to make a positive impact on com-munity organizations that can use our assistance. We want Will County to be a better place because of the Will County CrackerJacks.

The Will County CrackerJacksMedia Guide ProductionAll 2012 Will County CrackerJacks publications are pro-duced by the Will County CrackerJacks Media Relations Department. Biographies, statistics, editing and research are provided by Mike Garabedian, CrackerJacks’ Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations, and Josh Gleason, CrackerJacks’ Assistant Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. Contributing photographs, including school logos and headshots, are provided by the Will County Cracker-Jacks and colleges of the 2012 CrackerJacks players. All 2012 CrackerJacks publications are official publications of the Will County CrackerJacks, PO Box 732, Plainfield, IL, 60544. Its logos and graphics are trademarks of the Will County CrackerJacks. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this 2012 Will County CrackerJacks publication in whole or in part without written permission from the Will County CrackerJacks is strictly prohibited.

ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

Will County CrackerJacks 2012 Media Guide 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS/INDEX

2012 Organizational Information........................................2Table of Contents................................................................32012 Viewable Schedule.....................................................42012 Daily Schedule............................................................5CrackerJacks Front Office Staff.....................................6-7Ballpark Information............................................................8Ticket Information...............................................................92012 Team Roster..............................................................102012 Coaching Staff.....................................................11-13Player Biographical Information.................................14-402012 Midwest Collegiate League All-Star Game..............412011 Season..................................................................42-53 Year In Review.........................................................42-47 Schedule & Results.......................................................48 Regular Season Statistics............................................49 Regular Season Category Leaders..............................50 Postseason Statistics...................................................51 Postseason Category Leaders.....................................52 Awards.........................................................................53Records........................................................................54-57 Team.......................................................................54-55 Individual................................................................56-57Important Dates in CrackerJacks History.......................58Midwest Collegiate League.........................................59-64 General Information......................................................59 2011 Final Results........................................................60 2011 Playoff Line Scores..............................................61 2011 All-Star Game......................................................62 2012 Playoff Format.....................................................632012 Opponents...........................................................64-70 Rockford Foresters.......................................................64 Southland Vikings.........................................................65 Chicago Zephyrs..........................................................66 DuPage Hounds...........................................................67 Northwest Indiana Oilmen............................................68 DeKalb County Liners...................................................69 Illinois Lincolns.............................................................702012 Season Outlook...................................................71-73 Season Preview............................................................71 Radio Coverage......................................................72-73 CrackerJacks vs. United States Military All-Stars.........74All-Time Roster..................................................................75


Day Date Opponent Time Ballpark LocationFriday June 1 at Southland 7:10 Homewood-Flossmoor High School Flossmoor, Ill.Saturday June 2 at DuPage 6:00 Benedictine University Lisle, Ill.Sunday June 3 at DeKalb 6:05 Founders Field Sycamore, Ill.Wednesday June 6 at Northwest Indiana 7:10 Oil City Stadium Whiting, Ind.Friday June 8 at DuPage 7:00 Benedictine University Lisle, Ill.Saturday June 9 at DeKalb 7:05 Founders Field Sycamore, Ill.Sunday June 10 at Du:00 Benedictine University Lisle, Ill.Monday June 11 at DeKalb 7:05 Founders Field Sycamore, Ill.Tuesday June 12 at Chicago 5:00 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IllThursday June 14 at Northwest Indiana 7:10 Oil City Stadium Whiting, Ind.Friday June 15 vs. DuPage 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Saturday June 16 vs. Chicago 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Sunday June 17 vs. Southland 2:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Tuesday June 19 vs. Joliet 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Wednesday June 20 at Rockford 7:00 Marinelli Field Rockford, Ill.Thursday June 21 vs. Chicago 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Friday June 22 at Chicago 5:00 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, Ill.Saturday June 23 at Chicago 5:00 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, Ill.Sunday June 24 at DuPage 5:00 Benedictine University Lisle, Ill.Tuesday June 26 at DeKalb 7:05 Founders Field Sycamore, Ill.Wednesday June 27 at Northwest Indiana 7:10 Oil City Stadium Whiting, Ind.Thursday June 28 at Joliet 5:00 Wayne King, Jr. Field Joliet, Ill.Friday June 29 vs. Southland 11:00 a.m. Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Friday June 29 vs. USA Military All-Stars 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Saturday June 30 vs. DuPage 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Monday July 2 vs. Rockford 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Tuesday July 3 vs. DeKalb 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Wednesday July 4 vs. Joliet 4:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Thursday July 5 vs. Rockford 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Friday July 6 at Southland 7:10 Homewood-Flossmoor High School Flossmoor, Ill.Saturday July 7 at Rockford 7:00 Marinelli Field Rockford, Ill.Sunday July 8 vs. Southland 2:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Monday July 9 at Joliet 5:00 Wayne King, Jr. Field Joliet, Ill.Wednesday July 11 MCL All-Star Game 7:00 Benedictine University Lisle, Ill.Friday July 13 vs. Southland 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Sunday July 15 vs. Southland 2:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Monday July 16 vs. DeKalb 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Tuesday July 17 vs. Northwest Indiana 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Wednesday July 18 at Southland 7:10 Homewood-Flossmoor High School Flossmoor, Ill.Thursday July 19 vs. Joliet 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Friday July 20 vs. DuPage 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Saturday July 21 vs. Rockford 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Sunday July 22 vs. Joliet 2:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Wednesday July 25 at Southland 7:10 Homewood-Flossmoor High School Flossmoor, Ill.Thursday July 26 at Whiting 7:10 Oil City Stadium Whiting, Ind.Friday July 27 vs. DuPage 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Saturday July 28 vs. Northwest Indiana 7:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Sunday July 29 vs. Southland 2:00 Brennan Field Romeoville, Ill.Tues.-Thurs. July 31-Aug. 2 MCL Semifinals TBD TBD TBDFri.-Sun. August 3-5 MCL Championship TBD TBD TBD

2012 DAILY SCHEDULE


Baseball Operations Eloot Sports & Entertainment, LLC.....................................................................................................................................OwnerJamie Toole....................................................................................................................................President & General ManagerBobby Dernier.............................................................................................................................Director of Baseball OperationsMark Jablonski............................................................................................................Assistant Director of Baseball OperationsDavid “Yogi” Wodopian.................................................................................................Special Assistant to the General Manager

Media RelationsMike Garabedian......................................................................................................Director of Broadcasting & Media RelationsJosh Gleason............................................................................................Assistant Director of Broadcasting & Media RelationsDerek Wolff..........................................................................................................................................Media Relations Assistant

Sales and MarketingJamie Teichmann.......................................................................................................................Director of Community RelationsRyan Fagan........................................................................................................................................................Sales ExecutiveScott Minta........................................................................................................................................Special Events CoordinatorFrancesca Abate....................................................................................................................................................Retail Director

Ballpark OperationsKevin Bloom..............................................................................................................................................Director of OperationsMegan Braun......................................................................................................................................................................Batgirl

BroadcastingMike Garabedian.................................................................................................................................Play-By-Play BroadcasterJosh Gleason............................................................................................................................................................Broadcaster

CoachesVern Hasty.............................................................................................................................................................Field ManagerBobby Dernier...........................................................................................................................................Associate Head CoachMike Vucsko........................................................................................................................................................Assistant Coach

FRONT OFFICE


JAMIE TOOLEPresident & General Manager

Jamie Toole returns to the CrackerJacks in 2012 as the team’s President and General Manager. Toole founded the ballclub in the fall of 2010 and brings years of success to the Will County club. In 2011, he built the CrackerJacks club that captured the Midwest Collegiate League championship.

Toole is a native of Columbia, S.C., and a 2000 graduate of the University of South Carolina. From 2000-2010, Toole worked with seven different ballclubs, including the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (2000-01) and Joliet JackHammers (2002), when he served as the Director of Stadium Operations for both clubs.

He then joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for the 2003 season, working as the Assistant Director of Florida Baseball Operations. In 2004, Toole began his first season as a general manager, serving as the Vice President and General Manager of the Salem Avalanche professional baseball team. He held this position through the 2005 season before working with the South Coast League of Professional Baseball as the Chief Executive Officer from 2005-08.

In 2008, Toole joined the River City Rascals in O’Fallon, Mo., as the Executive Vice President and General Manager before returning to the JackHammers as the Executive Vice President and General Manager for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

When the JackHammers were sold after the 2010 campaign, Toole started the CrackerJacks with high hopes and ex-pectations. “My goal for the 2011 inaugural season of CrackerJacks baseball was to begin a tradition of excellence for our entire organization,” Toole said. “We wanted to be a championship organization on and off the field and I think that we made great strides during our first season. I was thrilled that we were able to cap it with a championship.”

Toole and his wife, Katie, have four children: Grace (nine), Jackson (eight), Maggie (four) and Parker (three). His hob-bies include watching South Carolina football, playing golf, reading and watching movies. His favorite sports teams are the University of South Carolina, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves.

FRONT OFFICE


The Will County CrackerJacks will play its 23 home games at Bren-nan Field during the 2012 baseball season. Located on the campus of Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., Brennan Field presents one of the nicest playing fields in the Midwest Collegiate League. With the campus of Lewis University just beyond the ballpark, Bren-nan Field features lights and bleachers that stretch from behind home plate to down each of the baselines, giving the 2012 CrackerJacks a chance to play under the lights for its home games for the first time in franchise history and also allowing fans to enjoy the games from a more comfortable perspective. During the 2011 season, the CrackerJacks played its home games during the day time at Wayne King, Jr. Field on the campus of Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Ill. Including the playoffs last season, the CrackerJacks put together a .706 winning percentage at home (12-5), going 10-5 during the regular season and a perfect 2-0 in the playoffs. The CrackerJacks have a history of partnering with Lewis University and its athletes. During the 2011 season, right fielder Derek Thomas, a product of Lewis and native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, played in 34-of-38 regular season games for the CrackerJacks and in four-of-five postseason contests. Thomas was named to the 2011 MCL All-Star team, one of nine

CrackerJacks named to the squad, and led the Cracker-Jacks in fielding percentage during the regular season (1.000), making 55 put-outs, three assists and posting no errors. On Oct. 20, 2011, CrackerJacks President and General Manager Jamie Toole revealed the renderings for the club’s brand new facility, Will County Stadium, which is slated to open for the 2014 season. The CrackerJacks have part-nered with the Farnsworth Group of Shorewood, Ill., to help get the new multi-purpose facility both financed and built. Will County Stadium will bring a multitude of services to both the CrackerJacks and its fans. The facility will feature state-of-the-art lights and a playing surface that will be able to host additional sporting and local events outside of CrackerJacks baseball. In addition, fans will be greeted

with an attractive entrance, party decks down the first and third baselines will be offered and comfortable seating behind home plate and both baselines will be readily available with ticket purchase. The seats directly behind home plate will be covered by a roof located just above the press box and stretching down toward the playing field. The location of Will County Stadium is still to be determined, although multiple locations are being discussed. The CrackerJacks are looking to keep the stadium as close to Interstate-55 as possible.

BALLPARK INFORMATION

A view of the scoreboard at Brennan Field in Romeoville, Ill.

The official logo of Wil County Stadium, the future home of the CrackerJacks.


TICKET INFORMATION

Season Tickets ($92)CrackerJacks season tickets are available to fans for just $92 per ticket. Each season ticket purchased (all season tickets are general admission at Brennan Field for the 2012 season) grants entry to all 23 Cracker-Jacks 2012 home games at Brennan Field. Included in each season ticket package are several promotions and benefits, including the chance attend CrackerJacks games for less than the standard single-game ticket price, to make the CrackerJacks experience in 2012 even more enjoy-able!

2012 Season Ticket Benefits• Bob Dernier CrackerJacks bobblehead• Discounted ticket prices from game-day pricing• Ticket exchange program to ensure no ticket goes to waste• Exclusive meet-and-greet with the 2012 CrackerJacks• Name or company name listed in 2012 souvenir game program• Discount vouchers for concession stands• Discount vouchers for the CrackerJacks Team Store

Group TicketsThe CrackerJacks offer several fantastic group ticket packages for the 2012 season, including the “9-9-9 Ticket Plan” ($99.99) and the “CrackerJacks Baseball Buddies” ticket package ($149.99). For more information on CrackerJacks group tickets, please visit www.crackerjacksbaseball.com.

Single-Game TicketsThe CrackerJacks offer three select locations for all 2012 home games at Brennan Field. Located behind the CrackerJacks dugout, “CrackerJacks Club” tickets are available for $10.00 but are limited to just 50 tickets per game. General Admission tickets will be sold for $5.00 and “The Patch” Lawn seats, located down the left field line, are available for just $3.00.

Exhibition GamesThe CrackerJacks will play the United States Military All-Stars in an exhi-bition game at Brennan Field on June 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets to this game are not included in the 2012 CrackerJacks season ticket package. Each

ticket will be available for $9.11 and can be purchased through the CrackerJacks by calling (815) 704-2255 or by emailing [email protected].

General Admission seating ($5.00) behind home plate.

“The Patch” Lawn seating ($3.00) down the left field line.


ROSTER BREAKDOWN PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

2012 Will County CrackerJacks Opening Day Roster

Pitchers (11)No. Name Pos B/T Ht. Wt. College Hometown13 Anthony Ciango RHP R/R 6-0 180 Northern Illinois University Woodridge, Ill.17 Michael Oczypok RHP L/R 6-4 225 University of Alabama Royersford, Pa.23 Kyle Pomeroy RHP R/R 6-1 200 Long Island University La Crescenta, Calif.26 Ben Gullo RHP R/R 6-4 215 Eastern Kentucky University Lake Zurich, Ill.27 Jack Rogalla RHP R/R 6-1 190 Binghamton University Oak Park, Ill.31 Dalton Potts LHP L/L 5-11 175 Univ. of Tennessee-Martin Greenfield, Tenn.32 Mike Grindstaff RHP R/R 6-0 195 Northern Illinois University Joliet, Ill.35 Carter Smith LHP R/L 6-3 200 Univ. of Tennessee-Martin St. Louis, Mo.36 Matt Borens RHP R/R 6-8 185 Eastern Illinois University Monee, Ill. Kyle Dowdy RHP R/R 6-1 220 University of Hawaii Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Adam Spracklin LHP L/R 6-0 170 UNC-Asheville Farmington, Conn.

Infielders (7)No. Name Pos B/T Ht. Wt. College Hometown9 Daniel Nevares IF R/R 5-10 180 Binghamton University Toa Alta, Puerto Rico11 Landon Lucansky IF R/R 5-11 183 University of Missouri Leawood, Kan.19 Michael Vilardo IF R/R 6-1 190 University of Pennsylvania Cary, Ill.24 Derek Brown Util. L/L 6-1 200 George Washington University Woodstock, Ill.25 Patrick Jameson IF R/R 6-1 210 University of Southern California Tarzana, Calif. 33 Case Munson IF R/R 5-11 183 University of Missouri St. Charles, Mo.34 Jacob O’Brien IF/OF L/L 6-0 200 Oral Roberts University Tulsa, Okla.

Outfielders (5)No. Name Pos B/T Ht. Wt. College Hometown4 Mitch Elliott OF R/R 5-11 180 Xavier University Germantown Hills, Ill.7 Shaun McGraw OF R/R 5-11 190 Binghamton University Brewerton, N.Y.14 Scott Hull OF R/L 5-11 195 Oklahoma State University Bartlesville, Okla.18 John Menken OF R/R 6-2 195 Southern Illinois University Bartlett, Ill.30 Jacob Thomas OF L/R 5-9 162 Bowling Green State University Litchfield, Ohio

Catchers (2)No. Name Pos B/T Ht. Wt. College Hometown10 Paul DeJong C R/R 5-11 175 Illinois State University Antioch, Ill.15 Andrew Johnson C R/R 5-11 180 Army Elmhurst, Ill.

Illinois..............................11California...........................3Oklahoma..........................2Missouri.............................2Pennsylvania.....................1 Kansas..............................1Ohio.................................1

Tennessee............,............1Puerto Rico........................1New York............................1Connecticut.......................1

Michael Oczypok.............................................OZEE-pokDaniel Nevares..............................................neh-VAR-esPaul DeJong.....................................................de-YONGJohn Menken....................................................MAYN-kinLandon Lucansky........................LAN-den lou-CAN-skeeAnthony Ciango............................................see-AYN-go


Vern MANAGER

ABOUT VERN HASTY:

After leading the Will County CrackerJacks to the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League regular season and postseason championships, Vern Hasty returns to manage the club for his second season in 2012.

Signed on March 16, 2011, Hasty was named the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Manager of the Year for his efforts and accomplishments during the 2011 campaign.

Hasty grew up in Kearney, Neb., and began his baseball playing career at Bertrand-Loomis High School, where he was apart of the school’s 1978 Nebraska State Championship team. After his high school career, Hasty went on to play college baseball at Longview Community College in Missouri before returning to Nebraska to play at Kearney State Col-lege for one season. He then served in the Marines from 1985-89 before beginning his coaching career as a pitching coach at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., from 1991-93.

Hasty began his managerial career when he took over the College of DuPage baseball program in 1994, where he served as the head coach until 1998. From 2003-05, Hasty managed the Harper College baseball team before taking over Division I Chicago State’s baseball program for two seasons (2006-07). Most recently, he has managed in Europe with Slovakia’s Trnava Angels.

In June 2010 in Belarus, Hasty’s Trnava Angels defeated the Russian National Team 12-4 behind pitcher Mike Wieda’s 15 strikeouts. Wieda pitched three years for the Schaumburg Flyers and is continuing his baseball career overseas.

The 2011 season for the CrackerJacks was capped off by a Midwest Collegiate League championship on July 31, 2011 in Joliet, Ill. Hasty led the team to a 25-13 regular season record and a 4-1 postseason record. In the 2011 playoffs, Hasty’s CrackerJacks swept the Chicago Zephyrs 2-0 in the semifinals before finishing off the Rockford Foresters 2-1 in the MCL Championship Series.

“[The 2011 season] is a memory that will last a lifetime. I know that all the players feel the same way. To have guys come together from eight different states for one summer and playing 40-plus games and winning a league champion-ship is pretty incredible. It’s something I know I’ll never forget.”

Hasty earned a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Lasell College in October 2011. He has two sons, Ryan (21) and Cody (18). Ryan joined the Marines in January 2012 while Cody recently graduated from Willowbrook High School in Willowbrook, Ill. Hasty is the author of Pitcher Perfect: A Complete Mechanical Analysis of the Pitching Deliv-ery, which was released June 2011.

1HASTYAge: 50 Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 210 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 4/8/1962 Hometown: Kearney, Neb.

Joined CrackerJacks Organization: 3/16/2011

Seasons with CrackerJacks: Second season (29-14). Led CrackerJacks to 2011 MCL Regular Season and Postseason Championships, named 2011 MCL Manager of the Year.


Bob ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH

ABOUT BOB DERNIER:

As CrackerJacks Associate Head Coach and Director of Baseball Operations, Bob Dernier will work with both the play-ers and front office of the team on a daily basis.

Dernier played in Major League Baseball for 10 seasons (1980-89), which included two stints with the Philadelphia Phil-lies (1980-83, 88-89) and one with the Chicago Cubs (1984-87). Dernier played in 122 games and stole 35 bases with the 1983 Phillies, a team that won the National League pennant and advanced to the World Series before losing to the Baltimore Orioles in five games. In the 1983 World Series, he appeared in the fourth game and scored a run.

On March 26, 1984, Dernier, along with Gary Matthews and Porfi Altamirano, was traded from the Phillies to the Cubs for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz. The trade was executed just eight days before the Cubs opened up the 1984 season at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., with a 5-3 win over the Giants. Dernier led off for the Cubs in the 1984 season-opener in front of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and Matthews and went 1-for-4.

By the end of the 1984 regular season, the Cubs finished 96-65 and won the National League Eastern Division over the New York Mets by 6.5 games. It was the club’s first playoff appearance since advancing to the World Series in 1945, a series that the team would eventually lose to the Detroit Tigers 4-3.

Dernier, a native of Kansas City, Mo., concluded his 1984 campaign with a .278 batting average, 149 hits and 45 stolen bases. More impressively, he made 355 putouts, posted five assists and committed just five errors as the everyday centerfielder for the Cubs. Dernier was awarded the National League Gold Glove Award for his efforts in 1984 and finished 17th in the Most Valuable Player Award voting.

In the 1984 NLCS, Dernier delivered four hits, including a home run, chalked up one RBI, scored five runs, drew five walks and stole two bases. The Cubs lost the series to the San Diego Padres 3-2.

Dernier played his final game in the big leagues on Oct. 1, 1989. He rejoined the Cubs organization in 2004 and worked with the club’s outfielders during Spring Training. From 2007-2010, Dernier served as the Cubs minor league outfielder and baserunning coordinator before being promoted to the major league coaching staff in August 2010. He represented the Cubs at the 2007 First-Year Player Draft in Orlando, Fla., and was the team’s first base coach during the 2011 season.

“I am excited to begin this journey with the Will County CrackerJacks,” Dernier said. “These young men with the Crack-erJacks are working toward their dream of being drafted into a major league organization and working their way up to the big leagues. I look forward to working with these young men on a daily basis this summer and hopefully helping them get a step closer to fulfilling the dream.”

20DERNIERAge: 55 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 165 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 1/5/1957 Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.


Seasons with CrackerJacks: First season


Mike Assistant Coach

ABOUT MIKE VUCSKO:

Mike Vucsko enters his first season with the Will County CrackerJacks in 2012 as the club’s assistant coach. Vucsko, a 2011 graduate of Lewis University, will assist in all facets of player development and game day coaching.

Vucsko put together a solid career at Lewis University and was tremendous as a senior for the Flyers in 2011. In 36 games, he made 34 starts and hit 0.291. Vucsko scored 26 runs, collected 30 hits and finished with an on-base per-centage of 0.416. He also drew 18 walks, made 87 putouts and posted 81 assists. Vucsko was an All-Conference selection and won the Midwest Region Gold Glove for his efforts during the 2011 season.

Vucsko attended Marist High School, graduating in 2007. As a senior, he led his team to a 31-6 record and was an All-Conference and All-Area selection. During the 2006 season, Vucsko and Marist advanced to the ISHA Super-Sectional after winning the Regional and Sectional championships. He garnered All-Conference accolades his junior season as well.

In 2011, Vucsko coached the Illinois Sparks and helped 61 high school baseball players move their careers to the NCAA Division I level.

“I am really excited for the opportunity that I have with the CrackerJacks,” Vucsko said. “I thank Jamie [Toole] and Vern [Hasty] for the opportunity and I think we are going to have a really fun summer.”

Vucsko is a native of Evergreen Park, Ill.

3VUCSKOAge: 23 Ht.: 5-9 Wt.: 165 Bats: L Throws: R

Born: 9/11/1988 Hometown: Evergreen Park, Ill.

Joined CrackerJacks Organization: May 1, 2012

Seasons with CrackerJacks: First season


Matt RHP 36BORENSAge: 19 Ht.: 6-8 Wt.: 185 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 2/10/1993 Hometown: Monee, Ill.


College: Eastern Illinois University

ABOUT MATT BORENS:

A local product out of Monee, Ill., and the tallest member of the team at 6-8, Matt Borens joins the CrackerJacks after his freshman season at Eastern Illinois. Borens is a right-handed pitcher who made three starts for the Panthers and 12 relief appearances. He posted a 5.70 ERA over 23.2 innings with a 1-0 record and one save. Borens also struck out 12 batters.

At Peotone High School, Borens helped his team win the regional title in both of his seasons on the varsity roster, 2010 and 2011. As a junior, he threw 58 strikeouts in 38.1 innings for an impressive 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Borens also played basketball and golf at Peotone High School. He helped lead the basketball team to a 14-16 overall record and Class 2A Reed-Custer Regional Title. Borens scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his final game as a Blue Devil against Seton Academy inthe IHSA Class 2A State Championship Tournament. He was also an all-conference and all-area selection in basketball as a senior.

Borens attended the Prep Baseball Report’s Unsigned Senior Showcase on Oct. 17, 2010 and, according to scouts, “stole the show and earned the event’s top prospect honors.” He signed shortly after with Eastern. Borens pitch repertoire in-cludes a fastball which can reach the high 80’s, a changeup, and curveball.

Borens is the son of Dan and Pam Borens and is majoring in kinesiology and sports studies at EIU.

2012 Highlights & Statistics

Made 15 appearances (three starts) and finished with a 1-0 record for Eastern Illinois... tossed 23.2 innings and struck out 12 batters... recorded one save for the Panthers in his first collegiate season... Eastern Illinois earned the fourth seed in the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

Record: 1-0ERA: 5.70APP-GS: 15-3CG: 0SHO: 0SV: 1IP: 23.2H: 32R: 18ER: 15BB: 20SO: 122B: 23B: 2HR: 2AB: 98B/Avg.: 0.327WP: 1HBP: 5PO: 2A: 3E: 1 FLD%: 0.833


Kyle RHP

DOWDYAge: 19 Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 220 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 2/3/1993 Hometown: San Diego, Calif.


College: University of Hawaii

ABOUT KYLE DOWDY:

Making the long trip from the west coast, Kyle Dowdy will be joining the CrackerJacks pitching staff for the upcoming season. Dowdy just concluded a successful freshman season at the University of Hawaii. Dowdy posted a 2-3 record with three saves and a 3.06 ERA in 13 appearances. He worked primarily as a relief pitcher, but did also make two starts. Dowdy struck out 25 batters over 32.1 innings, including 12 strikeouts against Central Michigan University on March 10, 2012.

Dowdy graduated from Francis Parker High School in San Diego, Calif., earning four letters in baseball. The Parker Lancers went 28-5 in Dowdy’s senior season and won a third consecutive league championship. Dowdy did it all that sea-son, posting a 2.05 ERA, holding opposing batters to a 0.192 average, picking up 71 strikeouts, posting an 8-2 record and recording one save. He also swung the bat well, hitting 0.400, belting six home runs, knocking in 39 and also stealing four bases.

Dowdy is a right-hander who features a fastball that reaches the mid-80’s, a change-up, curveball and slider. He consis-tently graded at eight to eight and a half (out of 10) by Perfect Game as a prospect.

Dowdy also graduated with multiple NCAA Division I athletes, including Michigan Wolverines Kickoff Specialist and Sugar Bowl Champion Matt Wile and former baseball teammate Kendall Lindley, who is a pitcher at San Diego State Univer-sity.

Dowdy is the son of Debi and Earl Dowdy and has one older brother.


Picked up two wins and posted a 3.06 ERA during his rookie campaign at the University of Hawaii... struck out 25 batters in 32.1 innings... struck out 12 batters in a game against Central Michigan University on March 10.



Mike RHP 32GRINDSTAFFAge: 19 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 195 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 10/3/1992 Hometown: Joliet, Ill.


College: Northern Illinois University

ABOUT MIKE GRINDSTAFF:

Joliet, Ill., native and Northern Illinois University product Mike Grindstaff will continue playing baseball in Illinois as he joins the CrackerJacks for the summer. The 19-year old right-handed pitcher played at Lockport High School until he was a senior when he transferred to Joliet West High School.

As a member of the Huskies, Grindstaff finished his freshman season with a 13.50 ERA in eight appearances. He made his collegiate debut in NIU’s opening game against the Tennesee Volunteers, completing one inning of work and allowing only one hit, one walk and no runs.

Grindstaff left Joliet West with the school record for most wins in a season after posting a 9-1 record with two saves in 12 appearances as a senior in 2011. He also totaled 86 strike-outs and a 1.31 ERA. As a senior, Grindstaff was honored as Team MVP, All-Conference, IHSA All-Area, and the Pitcher of the Year by the Old Timers Baseball Association of Will County. He was also a great hitter in high school and played second base, once missing the cycle by a double while pitch-ing a complete game in a 5-1 victory.

The Joliet West 2011 graduating class included another Divi-sion I athlete. Grindstaff was in the same graduating class as Western Illinois Leathernecks basketball player Remy Roberts-Burnett. Grindstaff has also picked up the nickname “Grinder.”

Grindstaff is the son of Toni Grindstaff and the late Kenneth Grindstaff.


Appeared in eight games for Northern Illinois Univer-sity during his freshman season... threw 7.1 innings and struck out three batters... made his collegiate debut against the University of Tennessee on Feb. 17 and did not allow a run in his one inning of work.

Record: 0-0ERA: 13.50APP-GS: 8-0CG: 0SHO: 0SV: 0IP: 7.1H: 13R: 12ER: 11BB: 7SO: 32B: 33B: 0HR: 2AB: 33B/Avg.: 0.394WP: 3HBP: 2PO: 2A: 2E: 0 FLD%: 1.000vs. Left: 0.429vs. Right: 0.385


Ben RHP 26GULLOAge: 19 Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 210 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 5/18/1993 Hometown: Lake Zurich, Ill.


College: Eastern Kentucky University

ABOUT BEN GULLO:

Ben Gullo joins the CrackerJacks after finishing his freshman season at Eastern Kentucky University. In five relief appear-ances, the 19-year old Gullo had a 12.50 ERA and picked up four strikeouts in 6.2 innings for the Colonels.

Gullo attended high school at Lake Zurich in Illinois. Dur-ing his senior season, the Bears went 12-12 overall. Gullo pitched well as a senior despite his team’s struggles, holding a 2.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in only 40 innings. He also pitched for the Schaumburg Seminoles and went 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 37 innings. Gullo made two appearances in the Cocoa Beach President’s Day Tournament and threw four scoreless innings to help the Seminoles take third place. He is one of multiple former Seminoles to go on and pitch Division I baseball, including fellow CrackerJack Jack Rogalla.

Gullo is a right-handed pitcher with good height at 6-4 and can reach 90 mph on his fastball. He possesses a strong two-seam fastball and cutter and was also described as having a “nasty curve(ball)” by Deep Impact Performance Training. Gullo also possesses a change-up and attended the Prep Baseball Report’s Unsigned Senior Showcase.

Gullo is the son of Vincent and Shari Gullo and is a Special Education major at Eastern Kentucky. He plans to teach elementary special education when he is done with baseball.


Finished his freshman season at Eastern Kentucky University with four strikeouts and 6.2 innings pitched... made five appearances for the Colonels... played on an Eastern Kentucky team that finished 19-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Record: 0-0ERA: 12.50APP-GS: 5-0CG: 0SHO: 0SV: 0IP: 6.2H: 8R: 9ER: 9BB: 6SO: 42B: 23B: 0HR: 0B/Avg.: 0.296WP: 4HBP: 5PO: 0A: 1E: 0 FLD%: 1.000


Michael RHP 17OCZYPOKAge: 19 Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 205 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 3/31/1993 Hometown: Royersford, Pa.


College: University of Alabama

ABOUT MICHAEL OCZYPOK:

After redshirting his freshman season at the University of Ala-bama, Michael Oczypok will become a CrackerJack for the 2012 summer. Oczypok accepted an academic scholarship to Alabama to major in pre-med and then was a walk-on for the Crimson Tide baseball team. He is from Royersford, Pa., and attended Spring-Ford High School. Oczypok was named the 2011 Southeast Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

During Oczypok’s senior season, Spring-Ford won the Pio-neer Athletic Conference Championship. Oczypok started the championship game against the defending champions Owen J. Roberts Wildcats and picked up the win, 4-3. During the season, Oczypok went 14-0 and had an incredible 1.09 ERA for the Rams. Before the Class AAAA Tournament, he had al-lowed only one earned run in 44 innings. Oczypok also struck out 106 batters in 83.2 innings. Oczypok started the Class AAAA championship, but his team lost to Conestoga 6-3. In seven innings, he gave up three runs (two earned) while al-lowing 10 hits and striking out six, picking up a no-decision.

Oczypok also played some first base while at Spring-Ford and batted .388. Last summer, he played for the Pottstown Spartans of the Perkiomen Twilight League.

Oczypok is a right-handed pitcher with a fastball that has been clocked at up to 87 mph and also features a curveball and changeup.


Statistics are unavailable for the 2012 season. Oczy-pok redshirted his freshman year at the University of Alabama and will have four years of eligibility remain-ing at the Tuscaloosa, Ala., university.


Kyle RHP 23POMEROYAge: 19 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 200 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 12/25/1992 Hometown: La Crescenta, Calif.


College: Long Island University

ABOUT KYLE POMEROY:

After playing on both the East and West coasts, Kyle Pome-roy will settle into the Midwest for the summer to play for the CrackerJacks. Pomeroy, a right-handed pitcher and native of La Crescenta, Calif., just concluded his freshman season at Long Island University-Brooklyn, making 15 relief appear-ances for the Blackbirds.

He concluded his freshman season with a 6.61 ERA, 1-3 record, and struck out 14 batters in 16.1 innings. Pomeroy picked up his first collegiate victory on May 5, 2012 against Quinnipiac and didn’t allow a home run all season. The Black-birds finished 22-33 overall in 2012.

Pomeroy was a four-year letterwinner at Crescenta Valley High School. As a senior, he was named second team All-Pacific League, going 6-0 with a 1.02 ERA and 44 strikeouts.Pomeroy also played for the San Gabriel Valley Arsenal, be-coming another of multiple Arsenal players to go onto to play Division I Baseball.

Pomeroy is the son of John and Marlene Pomeroy and is a Kinesiology major at LIU-Brooklyn. He signed to play for the CrackerJacks on Sept. 13, 2011.


Made 15 relief appearances for LIU-Brooklyn as a freshman... picked up one win, struck out 14 batters and pitched 16.1 innings... did not allow a home run during his rookie campaign.



Dalton LHP 31POTTSAge: 19 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 185 Bats: L Throws: L

Born: 10/11/1992 Hometown: Greenfield, Tenn.


College: University of Tennessee-Martin

ABOUT DALTON POTTS:

Dalton Potts joins the CrackerJacks for the summer after his freshman season at the University of Tennessee-Martin. During the 2012 season with the Skyhawks, the left-handed Potts finished 0-1 with a 9.16 ERA in 14 appearances. He also struck out 13 in 18.2 innings and started one game on the season against the 14th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels.

Potts is from Greenfield, Tenn., and attended Greenfield High School. The Yellowjackets went 20-8 during his senior season. Potts went 10-1 and held a 1.33 ERA. He struck out 101 batters while only allowing 10 walks in 54 innings. Potts also limited opposing batters to a 0.170 batting average. He picked up double digits in strikeouts in six of his 10 starts as a senior.

When Potts was a junior, Greenfield won the District 14A and regional championship. He was also an excellent hitter, posting a .463 batting average as a senior and clubbing five home runs. As a fielder, Potts didn’t record a single error. After finishing his career with a 27-5 record, his number 11 jersey was retired at Greenfield High. He was selected to play for the Kansas City Royals scout team.

While at Greenfield, Potts also played for the football team as a quarterback and basketball team as a forward. He is the son of Randy and Cheryl Potts and has two older sisters, Denise Douglas and Kelsey Potts. Potts is a Sports Manage-ment major at UT-Martin.


Appeared in 14 games, pitched 18.2 innings and struck out 13 batters for Tennessee-Martin in 2012... Started one game for UT-Martin in a duel with 14th-ranked Ole Miss.



Jack RHP 27ROGALLAAge: 20 Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 190 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 1/24/1992 Hometown: Oak Park, Ill.


College: Binghamton University

ABOUT JACK ROGALLA:

Jack Rogalla joins the CrackerJacks after his first two sea-sons at Binghamton University. Rogalla has pitched well as a Bearcat, possessing a 3-3 career record and one save.

In 2012, Rogalla posted a 3-1 record and one save in 13 appearances (six starts) for the Bearcats. Rogalla had a 4.79 ERA and struck out 25 batters while only walking 11. His three wins were tied for third most on the team and he was tied for the team lead in win-loss percentage. Rogalla also limited opposing batters to a 0.277 average. He finished the season with a 0.933 fielding percentage.

Rogalla went 0-2 with an 11.30 ERA during his freshman campaign in four appearances. He struck out seven batters in 14.1 innings of work. Rogalla didn’t allow a triple or home run on the season.

Rogalla attended nearby Oak Park-River Forest in Oak Park, Ill. During his senior season, his team went 16-1 and he bat-ted .310. On the mound, Rogalla went 6-3 with 66 strikeouts in 55 innings. He was also a captain and an All-Area quarter-back on the football team.

Rogalla is a right-handed pitcher with a fastball that reaches the high-80s, a change-up in the upper-70s and a slider that has been clocked between 77 and 81 mph.

He played for the Schaumburg Seminoles in the summer of 2009 and 2010, the same team fellow CrackerJack Ben Gullo played for. Rogalla played multiple positions for the Semi-noles, including first base, third base and pitcher. During the 2010 summer, Rogalla had a 3.84 ERA, a 2-4 record and he struck out 25 batters in 27.1 innings.

An Economics major at Binghamton, Rogalla has two broth-ers. He is the son of Bill and Tammy Rogalla.


Started six games and made 13 appearances overall as a sophomore at Binghamton University... went 3-1 with a 4.88 ERA... struck out 25 batters while only walking 11... Held his opponents to a 0.277 batting average...has committed just one error in college.

Record: 3-1ERA: 4.88APP-GS: 13-6CG: 0SHO: 0SV: 1IP: 48.0H: 54R: 34ER: 26BB: 11SO: 252B: 133B: 3HR: 2AB: 195B/Avg.: 0.277WP: 0HBP: 5PO: 4A: 10E: 1 FLD%: 0.933vs. Left: .311 (23-for-74)vs. Right: .256 (31-for-121)


Carter LHP 35SMITHAge: 19 Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 180 Bats: R Throws: L

Born: 11/4/1992 Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.


College: University of Tennessee-Martin

ABOUT CARTER SMITH:

After spending his freshman season at the University of Tennessee-Martin, Carter Smith makes his way back to the Midwest to join the CrackerJacks for the summer. Smith was 3-3 this past season for the Skyhawks, making seven starts in 16 appearances. Smith had an 8.10 ERA and threw 27 strikeouts in 40 innings. He was also second on the team in win-loss percentage, tied for second in wins, and fourth in strikeouts.

While attending Parkview West High School in St. Louis, Mo., as a senior, he was 1-1 in six appearances and had a 3.23 ERA while striking out 30 in 26 innings. Smith held opposing batters to .250 batting average and also garnered All-Confer-ence honors as a junior.

Smith is a left-handed pitcher with a fastball that has been clocked in the mid-80s. He also features a change-up. Smith was born with only his left hand and switches his glove to his left hand after pitches similar to former Yankees, Angels, White Sox and Brewers pitcher Jim Abbott.

Smith is the son of Julie and Larry Smith and has five sib-lings. His major at UT-Martin is sports management. His favorite Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says “So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”


Went 3-3 with a 8.10 ERA, striking out 27 batters in 40 innings pitched as a freshman at UT-Martin... featured on NCAA.com on April 21... second on UT-Martin in win-loss percentage, tied for second in wins and fourth on the team in strikeouts.



Adam LHP

SPRACKLINAge: 19 Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 170 Bats: L Throws: L

Born: 3/31/1993 Hometown: Farmington, Conn.


College: University of North Carolina-Asheville

ABOUT ADAM SPRACKLIN:

The CrackerJacks added a pitcher who received plenty of work as a freshman on Oct. 20, 2011, as Adam Spracklin of UNC-Asheville joins the squad. During the 2012 season, Spracklin appeared in 20 games, starting three, and pitched 32.1 innings. He went 2-4 on the season with a 6.12 ERA and 20 strikeouts.

Spracklin attended Avon Old Farms High School in Avon, Conn. Old Farms is a private, all-boys school that USA Hockey Olympians Brian Leetch and Jonathan Quick gradu-ated from. Old Farms went 32-5 during Spracklin’s junior and senior seasons. During his senior season, Old Farms went 17-1 in conference play and won the conference champion-ship. Spracklin was one of 10 seniors who went onto play college baseball. The year before, as a junior, he had a 2.00 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 35 innings.

While at Old Farms, Spracklin was also a member of the foot-ball team and played wide receiver. He was the team MVP during his senior season.

In 2004 and 2005, Spracklin won the Connecticut Little League Championship with his dad, Bill, as the manager. Spracklin is a left-handed pitcher who possesses a fastball in the mid-80s, a change-up and a breaking ball.


Made three starts and appeared in 20 games for UNC-Asheville... picked up two wins and struck out 20 batters... pitched 32.1 innings and signed with the Will County CrackerJacks on Oct. 20, 2011.

Record: 2-4ERA: 6.12APP-GS: 20-3CG: 0SHO: 0SV: 0IP: 32.1H: 39R: 30ER: 22BB: 20SO: 202B: 43B: 0HR: 5AB: 126B/Avg.: 0.310WP: 2HBP: 3PO: 1A: 9E: 1 FLD%: 0.909vs. Left: 0.375 (18-for-48)vs. Right: 0.269 (21-for-78)


Patrick IF 25JAMESONAge: 22 Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 210 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 8/30/1989 Hometown: Tarzana, Calif.

Joined CrackerJacks Organization: May 1, 2012

College: University of Southern California

ABOUT PATRICK JAMESON:

University of Southern California product Patrick Jameson was the final acquisition made by CrackerJacks General Manager Jamie Toole before the 2012 season. A native of Tarzana, Calif., Jameson is an experienced infielder.

Jameson attended both Pierce Junior College and Glendale Community College before taking his collegiate career to Southern California. Glendale captured the regional and super regional championships in 2011.

In high school, he attended Montclair Prep, where he was an All-Conference selection as a sophomore and a senior. Dur-ing his junior season, his team won its conference champion-ship.

The 22-year-old Jameson is the son of Jerry and Sally Jame-son. He has two siblings, Jerry Jr. and Tracy.


Statistics are unavailable for the 2012 season. Jame-son will continue his collegiate career at the Univer-sity of Southern California after previously attending Pierce Junior College and Glendale Community College.


Landon IF 11LUCANSKYAge: 19 Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 183 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 9/26/1992 Hometown: Leawood, Kan.


College: University of Missouri

ABOUT LANDON LUCANSKY:

Landon Lucansky is the lone member of the 2012 Crack-erJacks from the state of Kansas and one of two Missouri Tigers on the Will County roster along with fellow infielder Case Munson. A Leawood, Kan., native, Lucansky recently concluded his rookie season at Missouri.

In 2012, Lucansky made eight appearances and five starts for the Tigers. He picked up four hits, including one double and one triple, in 17 at bats and slugged 0.412. Lucansky also posted five RBIs, drew two walks, finished with a 0.350 on-base percentage and made 44 putouts in the field.

Lucansky attended Blue Valley High School and led his school to a Class 5A third-place finish in 2011. During his four-year tenure at Blue Valley, Lucansky helped his team to a 54-19 overall record, compiled a 0.420 career batting aver-age, slugged four home runs and knocked in 65 runs. He was a Class 6A first team All-State selection at second base in 2010 and a first team All-Metro selection at second base the same year.

Lucansky was a four-year honor roll member at Blue Val-ley High School and was the recipient of the 2010-11 High School Sportsmanship Award. He is a Business Manage-ment major at Missouri and is the son of Michael and Shan-non Lucansky.


Hit 0.235 and slugged 0.412 during his freshman year at Missouri... made eight appearances and five starts... collected four hits, including a double and triple, in 17 at bats... finished the season with a 0.350 on-base percentage.

AVG: 0.235GP-GS: 8-5AB: 17R: 0H: 42B: 13B: 1HR: 0RBI: 5TB: 7SLG%: 0.412BB: 2HBP: 1SO: 2GDP: 1OB%: 0.350SF: 0SH: 0SB-ATT: 0-0PO: 44A: 1E: 0 FLD%: 1.000


Anthony RHP 13CIANGOAge: 19 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 180 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 2/22/1993 Hometown: Woodridge, Ill.


College: Northern Illinois University

ABOUT ANTHONY CIANGO:

Following his redshirt season at Northern Illinois University, the six-foot 185-pound right-handed Anthony Ciango will join the CrackerJacks for the remainder of the summer. Ciango was an early-season acquisition for the team and will look to make his mark on the team’s pitching staff.

Ciango attended high school at Downers Grove North High School. Before his senior season, he was named team captain for the Trojans and a Rawlings Underclassman All-American Honorable Mention. As a junior, he went 3-3 with 47 strikeouts.

While playing for the Schaumburg Seminoles, he helped the team win the 16U CABA State Championship team. In the semifinal game, Ciango started and threw a shutout. He is the third CrackerJacks pitcher to have pitched for the Seminoles (Jack Rogalla and Ben Gullo are the others). He also played for the Illinois Sparks and Cangelosi Baseball. Ciango has a no-hitter on his high school resume and played some first base.

Ciango played with University of Notre Dame baseball player Eric Jagielo, a 50th round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Featuring a plus fastball that can reach the high-80s, Ciango compliments it with a high-60s curveball and a mid-70s changeup. He was rated an 8.5 out of 10 by Perfect Game and was described as “very aggressive” with “solid arm ac-tion” and “good late life on fastball.”

Ciango is the son of Dave and Karen Ciango. His father played football at Triton College. Ciango also showed interest in attending the University of Nebraska, University of Michi-gan and University of Missouri.


Statistics are unavailable for the 2012 season. Ciango redshirted his freshman year at Northern Illinois University and will have four years of eligibility remaining at the DeKalb, Ill., university.


Case IF 33MUNSONAge: 19 Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 183 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 4/22/1993 Hometown: St. Charles, Mo.


College: University of Missouri

ABOUT CASE MUNSON:

On April 30, 2012, Case Munson became the second Mis-souri Tiger, along with infielder Landon Lucansky, to sign with the CrackerJacks for the 2012 season. Munson is the second St. Charles, Mo., native to sign with the Will County club in as many years (Lendon Ehlmann, 2011).

In his first season as a member of the Missouri Tigers, Mun-son appeared in 12 games and made four starts. He finished the season 4-for-22 and belted a double, scored a run, drew two walks and posted three RBIs.

Munson is a 2011 graduate of Francis Howell High School. At Francis Howell, he completed a strong senior season by hitting 0.447, posting 46 hits, including 12 home runs, and tallying 59 RBIs. Munson was a 2010 and 2011 first team All-State selection and a 2011 first team All-American Rawl-ings selection. In addition, he led Francis Howell to a 32-3 record and a state championship in 2011. Munson received the Golden Helmet Award after his final season at Francis Howell and maintained a 3.0 grade-point average during his high school tenure.

Munson is a Business major at Missouri and enjoys snow-boarding and surfing. He is the son of Kurt and Kristen Munson.


Appeared in 12 games and made four starts dur-ing his rookie campaign at Missouri... posted four hits, including a double, in 22 plate appearances... knocked in three runs and drew two walks... is the second player from St. Charles, Mo., to sign with the CrackerJacks in franchise history.



Daniel IF 9NEVARESAge: 19 Ht.: 5-10 Wt.: 180 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 10/15/1992 Hometown: Toa Alta, Puerto Rico



ABOUT DANIEL NEVARES:

Daniel Nevares is one of three Binghamton Bearcats on the 2012 CrackerJacks roster. A native of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, Nevares signed with Will County on Sept. 29, 2011 and was an integral part of the Bearcats’ success in 2012.

In 2012, Nevares started every game in which he appeared for Binghamton. The 5-10 infielder compiled a .343 batting average, blasted two home runs and drove in 17 runs as well. Nevares led Binghamton in slugging percentage (.462) while racking up 49 hits, including 11 doubles, in 143 at-bats. In addition, Nevares finished with a .962 fielding percentage at second base.

Nevares’ accomplishments during his 2012 sophomore season came a year after starting all 45 games at second base for Binghamton during his rookie campaign in 2011. He started all 23 America East Conference games and racked up nine multi-hit games for the Bearcats. Nevares finished 2011 with 34 hits, 16 RBIs and 14 walks.

Nevares was a three-year letterwinner at Montverde Acad-emy High School in Florida. During his senior season in 2010, Nevares was named team captain and garnered Silver Slugger and Most Valuable Player accolades. He compiled a career batting average of .417 and an OPS of 1.306 at Montverde Academy.

Born in October 1992, Nevares is the son of Abdon and Gladys Nevares.


Finished the year with a 0.343 batting average and started all games in which he appeared for Bingham-ton University... slugged 0.462 for the Bearcats and finished with 13 extra-base hits... recorded 74 putouts and had 103 assists in the field.



Jake IF/OF 34O’BRIENAge: 19 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 200 Bats: L Throws: L

Born: 9/3/1992 Hometown: Tulsa, Okla.


College: Oral Roberts University

ABOUT JAKE O’BRIEN:

Jake O’Brien joins the CrackerJacks for the 2012 season after recently completing his rookie season at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. The six-foot O’Brien, a left-handed first baseman and outfielder, brings versatility to the Will County lineup.

A native of Tulsa, Okla., O’Brien signed with the Cracker-Jacks on Sept. 23, 2011, the same day that college teammate Hayden Martin signed with the Will County club. In 2012, O’Brien appeared in 18 games and made nine starts for Oral Roberts. He finished the year with four RBIs and belted a home run. In addition, O’Brien slugged 0.342 and collected eight hits, including two doubles, in 38 at bats.

O’Brien graduated from Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Okla., in 2011. At Bishop Kelley, he helped lead his team to a 2011 Oklahoma State Championship and regional champi-onships in 2008, 2009 and 2010. During his senior season, O’Brien garnered All-Metro Conference accolades and hit 0.383 with 17 home runs.

O’Brien is an Engineering major at Oral Roberts University. He is the son of Carl and Michele O’Brien and has three siblings: Luke, Molly and Taylor. He is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Oklahoma City Thunder.


Started nine games and made 18 appearances for Oral Roberts in 2012... collected eight hits, including two doubles and a home run, in 38 at bats... slugged 0.342... scored seven times and knocked in four runs during his rookie campaign.



Michael IF 19VILARDOAge: 19 Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 190 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 9/16/1992 Hometown: Cary, Ill.


College: University of Pennsylvania

ABOUT MICHAEL VILARDO:

Cary, Ill., native Michael Vilardo signed with the Will County CrackerJacks on March 3, 2012. He redshirted his freshman season at the University of Pennsylvania and will have four years of eligibility remaining at the Philadelphia, Pa., univer-sity. Vilardo began his collegiate career at the University of Richmond, where he played hockey during his freshman year.

Vilardo played his high school baseball at Cary-Grove High School in Cary, Ill. Following his senior season at Cary-Grove in 2011, Vilardo was selected to the Illinois All-State team by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times Media Group and the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association. In ad-dition, he was named the Northwest Herald Baseball Player of the Year and Northwest Herald Male Athlete of the Year.

The Northwest Herald Male Athlete of the Year is awarded to an athlete that excels both on the field and in the classroom. In high school, Vilardo compiled a 4.35 grade-point average and ranked 10th out of 430 in his senior class.

A standout hockey player, Vilardo scored 18 goals and posted 16 assists at the University of Richmond during the 2011-12 season. He was also named the 2011 Northwest Herald Hockey Player of the Year. After committing to Ohio State University as a sophomore at Cary-Grove, a shoulder injury prompted him to pick up baseball. He hit .436 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs during his senior season at Cary-Grove and led his squad to the Class 4A Sectional Championship game for the third consecutive season.

Vilardo is the son of Tom and Dee Vilardo.


Statistics are unavailable for the 2012 season. Vilardo redshirted his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania and will have four years of eligibility remaining at the Philadelphia, Pa., university.


Derek Util. 24BROWNAge: 21 Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 190 Bats: L Throws: L

Born: 11/12/1990 Hometown: Woodstock, Ill.


College: George Washington University

ABOUT DEREK BROWN:

George Washington University product Derek Brown signed with the Will County CrackerJacks on Nov. 29, 2011 and will serve as a key utility player for the 2012 season. Brown has the ability to pitch and play both the infield and outfield.

The versatile Brown appeared in 54 games for the Colonels in 2012, made 49 starts and also pitched in two ballgames. At the plate, Brown took 194 at bats and picked up 50 hits, including five doubles, one triple and two home runs. He plat-ed 17 runs and scored 23 times as well. In the field, Brown led the team in putouts with 415 and also had 28 assists. He finished with a 0.980 fielding percentage. On the mound, Brown had two appearances in relief. He threw two innings, and allowed just one hit. Brown did not allow a run in his two innings of work for George Washington.

A native of Woodstock, Ill., Brown attended Woodstock High School. He was an All-Area selection in baseball, basketball and football and was a member of the honor roll.

Brown intends to be a History major at George Washington University. He has a younger brother, Brandon, and is the son of Shawn Brown and Kim Andes.


Appeared in 54 games and made 49 starts for George Washington University... pitched in two games and did not allow a runs... collected 50 hits in 194 at bats... led the Colonels in putouts (415) and finished the season with a 0.980 fielding percentage.



Mitch OF

ABOUT MITCH ELLIOTT:

The talented, versatile Xavier University outfielder Mitch Elliott signed to play with the Will County CrackerJacks on March 9, 2012. A native of Wexford, Pa., Elliott will bring both speed and power to the CrackerJacks 2012 lineup.

Elliott played in 53 games for Xavier in 2012 and made 47 starts. In 172 at bats, he picked up 48 hits (0.279 average), including six doubles, three triples and two home runs. One of those home runs came in a 4-3 win over Butler Univer-sity on April 18. In addition, Elliott tallied 17 RBIs, scored 27 runs and stole nine bases for the Musketeers during his sophomore season. In the outfield, Elliott made 110 putouts, posted four assists and committed just six errors (.950 field-ing percentage).

As a freshman in 2011, Elliott played in 18 games and fin-ished with a 0.333 batting average.

Elliott attended Pine Richland High School, where he earned three varsity letters in both baseball and football. He was a two-time All-Section selection, led his conference in runs scored and batting average (0.500), and was awarded All-Conference honors in both football and baseball as a senior at Pine Richland. Elliott was a first team Academic All-Con-ference as a senior as well.

Born on Jan. 13, 1991, the 21-year-old Elliott is the son of Tye and Elizabeth Elliott.

4ELLIOTTAge: 21 Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 180 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 1/13/1991 Hometown: Germantown Hills, Ill.


College: Xavier University


Appeared in 53 games and made 47 starts for Xavier as a sophomore... hit 0.279 (48-for-172) and posted six doubles, three tripes and two home runs... belted a two-run home run in a 4-3 win over Butler on April 18... stole nine bases and scored 27 runs in 2012.



Scott OF 14HULLAge: 21 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 185 Bats: R Throws: L

Born: 11/21/1990 Hometown: Bartlesville, Okla.

Joined CrackerJacks Organization: 4/4/2011 (2011 season), resigned 1/4/12 for the 2012 season.

College: Oklahoma State University

ABOUT SCOTT HULL:

Scott Hull returns to the CrackerJacks for his second sea-son with the team after helping the ballclub win the Midwest Collegiate League Championship in its inaugural season last summer. Hull played two seasons at Kansas City Kansas Community College before transferring to Oklahoma State University in the fall of 2011. He redshirted the 2012 season as a member of the Cowboys.

With the CrackerJacks in 2011, Hull battled a mid-season ankle injury but rallied to hit 0.324 for the season with 18 RBIs. He led the 2011 CrackerJacks with a 0.473 slugging percentage as well. In the 2011 MCL Playoffs, Hull hit 0.318 (7-for-22), scored four runs and knocked in five.

At Kansas City Kansas Community College, Hull put together two outstanding seasons. In 2011, he appeared in 45 games and racked up 34 hits, including five doubles and two triples, in 92 at bats. Hull finished the 2011 campaign with 20 RBIs, 29 runs scored, a 0.370 batting average and an on-base percentage of 0.487. The Bartlesville, Okla., native also com-piled a 0.989 fielding percentage, committing just one error and posting 89 put-outs.

Hull is a 2009 graduate of Bartlesville High School. He is the son of Browning and Guylene Hull and has two older sisters, Laura and Libby. He is a fan of the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Chiefs and his favorite athlete is Chipper Jones.


Redshirted the 2012 season and will play for Okla-homa State University in 2013... helped lead the CrackerJacks to the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Championship... Hull’s statistics below are from the CrackerJacks’ 2011 regular season.

AVG: 0.324GP-GS: 22-22AB: 74R: 21H: 242B: 43B: 2HR: 1RBI: 18TB: 51SLG%: 0.473BB: 8HBP: 8SO: 8OB%: 0.440SF: 1SB-ATT: 6-7PO: 30A: 0E: 1 FLD%: 0.968


Shaun OF 7McGRAWAge: 20 Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 195 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 1/6/1992 Hometown: Brewerton, N.Y.



ABOUT SHAUN MCGRAW:

Joining fellow Binghamton Bearcats Daniel Nevares and Jack Rogalla on the Will County CrackerJacks for the 2012 season is outfielder Shaun McGraw. A native of Brewerton, N.Y., McGraw signed with Will County on Sept. 29, 2011.

In 2012, McGraw posted 11 hits and knocked home five runs for Binghamton in his 18 appearances. He made 11 starts for the Bearcats during his sophomore season, drew one walk, had three HBPs and made 11 putouts in the field.

As a freshman in 2011, McGraw appeared in 19 games and made 12 starts in the outfield. He finished the season with nine hits and four RBIs, including a 2-for-3 performance that featured a double and two RBIs in an April 12, 2011 game against Niagara University. During the summer of 2011, McGraw was selected to the New York Collegiate Baseball League All-Star team.

McGraw attended Christian Brothers Academy High School, where he was a three-year letterwinner. In addition, McGraw received the program’s Sportsmanship Award, was a three-time All-League selection, a two-time All-Central New York selection and an All-State selection as a senior in 2010. Dur-ing his tenure at Christian Brothers Academy, his team won three league championships, one sectional title and made an appearance in the New York State Semifinals.

McGraw is a Human Development major at Binghamton Uni-versity. He is the son of Owen and Denise McGraw.


Made 18 appearances and 11 starts in the outfield for Binghamton... knocked in five runs, collected 11 hits and scored four runs... finished his sophomore season with a 0.288 on-base percentage and picked up a double.



John OF 18MENKENAge: 19 Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 195 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 1/23/1993 Hometown: Bartlett, Ill.


College: Southern Illinois University

ABOUT JOHN MENKEN:

John Menken joins the Will County CrackerJacks for the 2012 season after finishing up his freshman season at Southern Illinois University in May 2012. Menken, an outfielder from Bartlett, Ill., signed with Will County on April 29.

Menken appeared in 20 games and made 10 starts for Southern Illinois in 2012. In 42 at bats, he racked up 10 hits, including five doubles, and posted four RBIs. He also crossed the plate six times and finished the year with a 0.357 slugging percentage and 15 total bases. In the field, Menken made 16 putouts.

Prior to Southern Illinois, Menken lettered in baseball, bas-ketball and football at South Elgin High School. He was an All-Area and All-Conference selection in both baseball and football during his junior and senior years and, in addition, was an Academic All-State selection in football as a junior. Menken led South Elgin to its first-ever regional champion-ship as a junior and a school-record 22 wins as a senior. On the football field, he led his school to its first playoff appear-ance, its first-ever playoff win and was an Honorable Mention All-State selection. He set school records for career passing yards, touchdowns and wins as the starting quarterback at South Elgin as well.

A Business Management major, John has one brother, Nick. He is the son of Thomas and JoAnn Menken.


Made 16 putouts as a rookie outfielder for Southern Illinois University... appeared in 20 games and made 10 starts... collected 10 hits, including five doubles, in 42 at bats... finished the season with a 0.357 slug-ging percentage and 15 total bases.



Jake OF 30THOMASAge: 20 Ht.: 5-9 Wt.: 160 Bats: L Throws: R

Born: 5/3/1992 Hometown: Litchfield, Ohio


College: Bowling Green State University

ABOUT JAKE THOMAS:

Bowling Green State University outfielder Jake Thomas signed with the CrackerJacks for the 2012 season on Oct. 13, 2011. The scrappy Litchfield, Ohio, native recently completed a very successful sophomore season for the Falcons.

Thomas hit 0.311 (55-for-127) in 2012 for Bowling Green and made 49 appearances (46 starts). He finished the season with 19 RBIs, 28 runs scored, five doubles and four triples. On March 14, Thomas tied the school record for hits in a game (six) in a 24-11 win over Malone. In addition, he slugged 0.384, posted a 0.420 on-base percentage and put together a 10-game hit streak from March 13 to March 27. The Medina Buckeye High School product had 13 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games in 2012 as well. He was named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week on March 8.

As a freshman in 2011, Thomas appeared in 17 games and made two starts.

At Medina Buckeye High School, Thomas earned four varsity letters and hit 0.575 with six home runs, five triples, 12 doubles and 19 walks as a senior in 2010. Thomas garnered Patriot Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors, was a first team All-Medina County and Offensive Player of the Year selection and was named team captain as a senior.

In addition, Thomas was a four-year member and team captain of the Medina Buckeye wrestling team. The Applied Health Science major is the son of Jerry and Mary Thomas.


Appeared in 49 games and made 46 starts for the Falcons in centerfield...hit 0.311, slugged 0.384 and had an OBP of 0.420...tied a Bowling Green single-game record with six hits on March 14...had 13 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games... put together a 10-game hit streak from March 13-27.



Jesse C 21BROWNAge: 19 Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 200 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 10/30/1992 Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.


College: Long Island University

ABOUT JESSE BROWN:

Indianapolis, Ind., native Jesse Brown signed with the CrackerJacks on Sept. 13, 2011. Brown just completed a solid freshman campaign at Long Island University-Brooklyn, where he played with fellow-CrackerJack Kyle Pomeroy.

In 2012, Brown appeared in 32 games an made 23 starts for the Blackbirds. In 78 at bats, he picked up 19 hits, including three doubles, one triple and two home runs. In addition, Brown posted 11 RBIs, slugged 0.385 and finished with a 0.386 on-base percentage. In the field, Brown had 20 put-outs, four assists and only committed one error (0.960 fielding percentage).

Brown attended Franklin Central High School, where he was a four-year letterwinner. He was named to the All-Conference teams in 2010 and 2011 and garnered Honorable Mention All-State accolades as a senior in 2011.

A Business Management major at LIU-Brooklyn, Brown is the son of Jesse and Brenda Brown.


Appeared in 32 games and made 23 starts for LIU-Brooklyn... hit two home runs and also connected on two doubles and a triple... finished with a 0.386 on-base percentage... posted a 0.960 fielding percent-age behind the plate.



Paul C 10DeJONGAge: 18 Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 175 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 8/2/1993 Hometown: Antioch, Ill.


College: Illinois State University

ABOUT PAUL DEJONG:

One of nine CrackerJacks from the state of Illinois, Illinois State University product Paul DeJong joins Will County for the 2012 season. DeJong, a native of Antioch, Ill., signed with the CrackerJacks on Feb. 29, 2012.

Born on Aug. 2, 1993, DeJong graduated from Antioch Com-munity High School in Antioch, Ill., in 2011 before redshirting his freshman season at Illinois State in 2012.

At Antioch, DeJong was a two-year starter and hit 0.430 with four home runs, one triple and 30 RBIs as a senior in 2011. In addition, he was an All-Area selection, a first team All-Lake County selection and was selected first team All-North Suburban Conference his senior season. He led Antioch to a 21-10 record in 2011 and was named the team MVP. In 2010 as a junior, DeJong hit 0.360 with 28 RBIs, three home runs, six double and one triple.

DeJong graduated cum laude from Antioch and was named the science department’s Most Outstanding Student. He was the Antioch senior class’ Most Outstanding Boy and was a member of the National Honor Roll.

A Biochemistry major at Illinois State, DeJong has one brother, Matthew, and one sister, Emma. He is the son of Keith and Andrea DeJong.


Statistics are unavailable for the 2012 season. DeJong redshirted his freshman year at Illinois State University and will have four years of eligibility remaining at the Normal, Ill., university.


Andrew C 15JOHNSONAge: 20 Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 175 Bats: R Throws: R

Born: 6/20/1991 Hometown: Elmhurst, Ill.


College: Army

ABOUT ANDREW JOHNSON:

Upon the conclusion of his sophomore season at West Point in which the Army baseball team made the NCAA Tourna-ment, Andrew Johnson will join the CrackerJacks as one of the most experienced players on the roster. This past season, Johnson batted .291 working as a designated hitter and catcher. While playing in 23 games, he also drove in five runs, scored 15 times, and did not commit a fielding error. Army went 41-13 during the regular season.

After redshirting in 2010, Johnson saw his first action in 2011. Appearing in five games, Johnson batted .200 and drove in two runs. He is a right-handed batter and thrower.

Johnson attended York Community High School in nearby Elmhurst, Ill. While there, he lettered twice and was an All-Area choice both years, All-Conference his senior season and was also awarded as the team MVP during his senior season. Johnson played wide receiver for the football team at York. He has clocked a 7.07 60-yard dash time as well.

Johnson is a Systems Management major at West Point. He is the son of Robert and Camille Johnson.


Hit 0.291 for a West Point squad that won the 2012 Patriot League Championship... played in 23 games, driving in five runs, as a sophomore at Army... scored 15 runs and did not commit an error in the field...had a 0.381 on-base percentage.



It all started from scratch. No players, no manager, no website, no tradition, no staff, no ballpark, not even a team name. But on a cold December evening in 2010, former Joliet Jack-Hammers General Manager Jamie Toole created the foundation of a new baseball team in Will County, Ill. As the days turned to weeks, the new club began accepting entries for what it would be called. The thought process was simple: get as many people in the local community involved as possible. This wasn’t going to be a ballclub that people would be able to ignore. It was to be Will County’s hometown team. But even as Toole continued to accept entries for his new team’s name, there was still a daunting question that lingered throughout the chilly Chicago winter. Sure, the team can have a name, but what is a baseball team without players and a manager? If Will County’s new team was going to have a chance at competing in 2011, Toole needed to act fast and acquire talented collegiate ballplayers. Then, in late January 2011, Toole got the good news he was searching for when he got a commitment from a tall, right-handed pitcher from nearby Tinley Park, Ill. When the paperwork was finally signed on Jan. 25, the new ballclub in Will County finally had its first player in franchise history: University of Wisconsin-Parkside product Ryan Windt. Despite the much-needed victory for Toole, the last thing on his mind was slowing down. A roster was needed, and time was sparse. The new days came quickly, but as the calendar turned to February, so did

new acquisitions. On Feb. 8, Toole acquired another Wisconsin-Parkside pitcher in right-hander Mike Nicks and then he landed talented College of DuPage outfielder Domenic Biagini on Feb. 28. By the time March came around, a 2011 sea-son became even more realistic. Then, it happened. After over three months’ worth of team name entries were collected, Toole and his family had come across one that stuck out. It was a name that described the type of ballplayer every manager desires. On March 1, 2011, the new baseball team in Will County finally had its name. They were the CrackerJacks. Contrary to popular belief, the back-ground of the “CrackerJacks” name has nothing to do with the famous treat sold in ballparks all over the United States. Instead, the name stems from an old saying that describes someone excel-lent of their kind. If someone described a ballplayer by saying “he was a real CrackerJack,” they’d be implying that he was a top-notch player, someone who has the skills and determination to be successful. “It’s a breath of fresh air,” Toole said of the CrackerJacks. “It’s so refreshing to deal with kids who are just excited to have a place to play ball in the summer.” Toole came to the CrackerJacks after a decade-long run in profes-sional baseball that included stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and numerous Independent League teams. The goals that those players had in mind were far different than those of the fresh faces in the CrackerJacks organization. Sure, the ultimate goal for every player is to play in the major league. But for profes-sional players, the focus was less on

the actual sport and more on external factors such as meal money and a new contract. For collegiate players, the goal is to get better and develop the necessary skills to succeed. As the word about the CrackerJacks spread throughout Will County, Toole was still working on finding a leader for his club. On March 16, he had his man. Vern Hasty became the first man-ager in CrackerJacks history on that day in March, eager to get back to coaching players who were willing to learn the fundamentals of the game to be suc-cessful. He had just completed a long season in Slovakia with the Trnava Angels in the summer of 2010 and although he saw some success with the European club, including a win over the Russian National Team in June 2010, he felt it was time to come back to the United States to manage again. Hasty, a native of Kearney, Neb., brought years of managing experience at nearly all levels of collegiate baseball in addition to his international stint into the CrackerJacks’ inaugural season. “At first, I was content with just being able to play and maybe win a few ballgames in our first year,” Toole said. “But when we signed Vern, my outlook changed. I wanted to win the league.” “When I went over [to Europe], it was a little difficult to have to teach basic fundamentals of the game, like the hit-and-run, that [the European players] did not completely grasp,” Hasty said of his time in Europe. “The great thing about coaching a summer collegiate team is that there are a lot of quality players playing in college right now that really know how to play the game.” With the team roster developing and the manager now in place, Toole

2011 SEASON IN REVIEW


and Hasty decided to fill the roster with a slightly different approach: instead of building a club that consisted of only Il-linois players, why not take it to the next level and go outside the state? When this decision was made in at the end of March, the CrackerJacks began signing new players on a daily basis. In late April, Toole signed Conor Szczerba, Colt Hankamer and Chris Noble from Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla. The three would become the nucleus of the CrackerJack infield for the majority of the regular season. In addition, Toole was able to acquire Oklahoma native Scott Hull, Kansas City, Kan., product Brandon Truitt and St. Charles, Mo., native Lendon Ehl-mann. When the roster was finalized at the beginning of June, the Cracker-Jacks’ roster consisted of players from eight different states. One of those key out-of state ac-quisitions was Steve Taylor, who quickly emerged as the ace of the pitching staff even before the regular season began. Finally, on June 3, 2011, after six long months of hard work and prepara-tion, Hasty and the CrackerJacks took the field for the first time. The end result of game one was better than what anyone could have expected. Behind Taylor’s five shut-out in-nings, the CrackerJacks jumped out to an early 12-0 lead and never looked back. They won their first game in fran-chise history on that warm June evening over the Chicago Zephyrs at Waubon-see Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill. The team cruised through the first week of the season and got off to an early 6-1 start. Of course, that record

did not include a 6-2 June 7 loss to the Chicago Bandits, Chicago’s profes-sional softball team, in a “Battle of the Sexes.” But over the next week, the Crack-erJacks began to stumble and on June 19, the Zephyrs downed the Cracker-Jacks 11-8 to drop the Will County club to 7-6 overall and 6-6 in the Midwest Collegiate League. But it was after that game in Sugar Grove where one of the key moments in the season occurred. Disappointed with what he had just witnessed, Toole addressed his club in the parking lot at Waubonsee Commu-nity College. “Guys,” Toole said. “This is what rock bottom feels like. It can only go up from here.” At the time, no one knew how cor-rect Toole’s bold statement would end up being. After the June 19 loss to the Zeph-yrs, the CrackerJacks went 10-4 over their next 14 ballgames to improve to 17-10 overall and 15-9 in the MCL. The streak propelled them up to second place in the league standings, just 2.5 games behind the first-place Rockford Foresters heading into the MCL All-Star Game, which featured nine CrackerJacks, including Taylor, Drew Sain, Windt, Nicks, Biagini, Truitt, Ehlmann, Szczerba and Derek Thomas, on July 13. The Foresters took over sole possession of first place on June 16 when they stunned the CrackerJacks at Wayne King, Jr. Field by scoring four runs in the ninth inning after trailing 3-0. Rockford would hold that first place po-sition for over a month after that game but they were never able to completely

pull away from the CrackerJacks, who quietly hung around in the division standings as July wore on. One of the major reasons the CrackerJacks were able to remain within striking distance of Rockford was the July 7 mid-season acquisition of util-ity player Michael Jordan. In 15 games with the CrackerJacks, Jordan hit .383, drove in 15 runs and stole 13 bases. In addition he went 2-1 on the mound with just a 2.96 earned run average. With all the right pieces in place, the CrackerJacks entered a four-game series with Rockford just 2.5 games out of first place. After losing the first game of the series, the CrackerJacks won two out of next three to split the series. The series finale saw the CrackerJacks rout the Rockford club 10-1. The win to split the series marked the second turning point of the season for the Will County club. No, the win did not propel them into first place. But it did show the Foresters that it was going to be a tight race to the finish. The 10-1 win over Rockford ended up being the first of seven straight wins for the CrackerJacks to close out the regular season. The winning streak featured a thrilling come-from-behind 8-6 win over the Southland Vikings on July 18, a near-brawl in a July 21 win over the Zephyrs and a dominating 12-5 win over the Foresters to tie them for the division lead on July 22. But still, the CrackerJacks were the underdogs to win the division heading into the final day of the regular season on July 24. To win the regular season title and grab the top seed in the play-offs, they needed to sweep the Zephyrs in a doubleheader and then hope that



Southland knocked off Rockford. On a warm, damp Sunday evening in Sugar Grove, the CrackerJacks took care of business and got the help they were looking for as well, pounding the Zephyrs 12-1 and 13-4 while the Vikings topped Rockford in extra innings. It was a regular season champion-ship that signified much more than just a top seed in the playoffs. It was a title that was a result of perseverance through the adversity of early-season struggles, a championship for a general manager who only four months earlier was still searching for a team name and a victory for a manager who came back to coach in the United States just look-ing for his chance to win. Despite the heart-stopping finish to the 2011 regular season, the Crack-erJacks had little time to rest with the playoffs beginning just two days after its regular season title. When Chicago Zephyrs relief pitcher George Heller induced a ground out from CrackerJacks outfielder Scott Hull in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one of the Midwest Collegiate League Semifinal Series, it seemed as though the top-seeded CrackerJacks, not the fourth-seeded Zephyrs, would be fighting for their playoff lives in game two. It would not have been a surprise to anyone who witnessed the game. The Zephyrs got an early unearned run off a CrackerJack error, pushed the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning and did not trail for a single moment through the first six and a half frames. It was as if the Zephyrs were the top dogs in the Midwest Collegiate League, not the CrackerJacks. Zephyrs’ starter Mike Derby was missing bats with his

devastating two-seam fastball and the CrackerJacks were making errors that were uncharacteristic of a team that ended the 2011 regular season on a seven-game winning streak. But perhaps the most important factor working for the Zephyrs in game one at Oil City Stadium was that Crack-erJacks ace, Steve Taylor, who was unbeatable during the 2011 regular sea-son, was proving that he was human. “It was just one of those days where I knew I just didn’t have it,” Taylor said after game one. “[CrackerJacks’ catcher] Brandon [Truitt] came up to me in the second in-ning and said that he thought [Taylor’s] velocity was down,” said CrackerJacks manager Vern Hasty. “I was already starting to get a little worried at that point.” Through the first four innings of game one, the Zephyrs tagged Taylor for three runs on seven hits. Although only one of the three runs were earned, Taylor held his opponents to just seven total runs in 54 1/3 innings pitched dur-ing the regular season. He entered the playoffs with a 7-0 record and a 0.50 earned run average. “I really was concerned even before game one started,” Hasty said. “Any-time you begin a series in the playoffs, especially a three-game series, you essentially throw your regular season records out. If you happen to lose game one of the series, you’re backs are re-ally against the wall.” Leading 3-2 in the top of the sev-enth, the Zephyrs scored twice more off of Taylor to take a 5-2 lead thanks to a Luke Collins two-out RBI double off the right field wall and a single by Ryan Cowhey to knock in Collins.

Heller had allowed just one hit in his inning and two-thirds of relief before Conor Szczerba stepped to the plated for the CrackerJacks with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. With no one on base, Szczerba bunted up the third base line and darted for first base. Zephyrs’ third baseman Ryan Payne watched the ball trickle to-ward the foul line only to watch it settle in the grass just inches fair. With Domenic Biagini now at the plate, Szczerba broke for second base and stole it easily. Suddenly, the CrackerJacks had life. Biagini drew a walk to bring up Truitt, who represented the game’s tying run. With Szczerba dancing off of second base and Biagini on first, Truitt laced a single into left-center field to score Szczerba and advance Biagini to third. The RBI single not only closed the CrackerJacks within two runs but it also ended Heller’s night. Dan Hue-necke came into the game in relief of Heller. The first batter Huenecke faced was Lendon Ehlmann. Huenecke promptly drilled Ehlmann in the left leg with a fastball to load the bases with only one out for Chris Noble. The CrackerJacks had threatened the previous two innings. In the fifth, they had runners on the corners with one away and then the bases loaded with two outs but only managed to score one run. In the sixth, they had runners on second and third with nobody out but Heller managed to escape the inning without allowing a run. With only eight outs to work with, the CrackerJacks were running out of



time in the bottom of the seventh frame. Then, the CrackerJacks caught the break they desperately needed. John Wehr entered the game at second base in the seventh inning for the Zephyrs to replace the injured K.C. Wright. When Noble hit a weak ground ball to Wehr, he was immediately involved in the action. In all likelihood, it would not have been a double-play opportunity for the Zephyrs and a run would have scored for the Crack-erJacks. But after Wehr fielded the grounder cleanly, his throw to a covering Ryan Richardson at second base went into left field, allowing both Biagini and Truitt to score to tie the game at five. It was almost as if after that single play, the Zephyrs finally realized they were playing the regular season cham-pions of the Midwest Collegiate League, a team they went 2-9 against during the regular season. The following batter was Derek Thomas, who took a pitch in the dirt that bounced away from Zephyrs catcher Scott Blanchette and allowed Ehlmann to score from third. The 6-5 CrackerJack lead was their first of the day. When the four-run sev-enth inning finally came to a close, you could feel the life being sucked out of the rambunctious Zephyrs squad. They never saw another lead for the remain-der of the series. In the eighth inning, Taylor finally began to settle down, retiring the Zeph-yrs in order. In the bottom of the eighth frame, the CrackerJacks put the game away. Michael Jordan led off the inning with a single and then swiped second base. After Szczerba drew a one-out walk, Biagini gave Taylor and the

CrackerJacks the insurance runs they so badly needed with a booming double to left-center to score both Jordan and Szczerba. Then, Truitt knocked home Biagini to put the CrackerJacks up 9-5. In the ninth, Taylor induced two ground outs to Szczerba and a line out to Jordan to end the game and give the CrackerJacks a dramatic victory. “It certainly wasn’t pretty,” Hasty said. “But when you’re in the playoffs, you take any win you can get and get out of the park and prepare yourself for the next game.” “We had it the whole way,” Cracker-Jacks pitcher Ryan Windt joked the next day. “I told the guys after the game I really wasn’t feeling great about our chances after we kicked the ball around a few times and weren’t swinging the bats like we had been throughout the summer,” Hasty said. “But when we finally did get it going, we never looked back. I was so proud of the way we persevered through that first game. It really showed me that you really can’t count us out of any game.” The CrackerJacks left Oil City Stadi-um in Whiting, Ind., that night with a 1-0 series lead and a chance to sweep the Zephyrs the following evening at Wau-bonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill., the following evening. The outcome of game two was never in question. In the first inning, the CrackerJacks scored four times on five hits, highlight-ed by Hull’s RBI double, the first of four RBIs for the CrackerJacks’ centerfielder, Szczerba’s single to score Hull, an RBI single by Truitt and Ehlmann’s double to score Truitt. Before the Zephyrs could catch their breath, they were down 4-0.

Leading 4-1 in the second, the CrackerJacks scored three more runs off of Zephyrs’ starter Ryan Hudspeth and then tacked on three additional runs in the third off of reliever Lucas Geier. The 10-2 lead (the Zephyrs scored once more in the second) was plenty for CrackerJacks’ starter Drew Sain. Both Sain and Geier held their opposi-tion scoreless for the remainder of the game as the CrackerJacks cruised to a convincing 10-2 victory. Sain earned the win for the Crack-erJacks by allowing just two runs on five hits in six innings. Mike Nicks, Mark Zhorne and Spencer Lehmann each threw a scoreless inning of relief to end the Zephyrs’ 2011 season. For Sain, it was his sixth win as a CrackerJack. He went a perfect 5-0 during the regular season. “I had a great feeling going into game two,” Hasty said. “After game one, I made sure that I talked to the guys about relaxing at the plate and swinging the bats like they did the whole summer. Once we had the early lead that we did [in game two], I knew we’d be fine.” The CrackerJacks scored their 10 runs in game two off of 17 hits and did not commit an error (they had three errors in game one). Every player in the CrackerJack starting lineup picked up at least one hit, and six players recorded multi-hit games. Hull and Jordan led the attack by going 3-for-5 and knocking in four runs and two runs, respectively. The dominating victory was the CrackerJacks’ 11th win over the Zeph-yrs in 13 tries but more importantly, it propelled them into the Midwest Col-legiate League Championship Series against a team that just completed a



thrilling three-game series. “Because we were able to sweep our series and the other series went all the way to three games, I really liked our chances in the finals,” Hasty said. “Pitching is the name of the game and we had a chance to set up our rotation exactly the way we wanted to.” The CrackerJacks had won nine consecutive games heading into the 2011 MCL Championship Series with the Rockford Foresters, which defeated the Southland Vikings 2-1 in the other semifinal series. But the 10th straight victory for the CrackerJacks would not come without some drama. Trailing 3-0 in the first inning, Mi-chael Jordan got his club on the board with a home run to right field, only to see the Foresters respond with a run in the second to make it a 4-1 ballgame. But in the bottom of the third, Conor Szczerba’s two-out RBI triple drove home two runs to make it a 4-3 ball-game. However, Rockford would score twice with two outs as well in its half of the fourth to push its lead back to three at 6-3. Trailing 7-5 in the seventh inning, the CrackerJacks broke through. Colt Hankamer led off the inning with a single up the middle and Jordan followed with a bunt hit up the right field line. The next batter was Scott Hull, who then bunted up the third baseline for an infield single but when Foresters pitcher Ziggie Vanderwall tried to throw to third base, his throw got away and it allowed Hankamer to score to make it a 7-6 game. Szczerba then drove in Jordan,

who had advanced to third on the error by Vanderwall, with a single to knot the score at seven. Hull advanced to third on the play. With two outs and Hull still on third base, Lendon Ehlmann took a fastball upstairs from Vanderwall that got away from the catcher Jason Schnelle to allow Hull to score the go-ahead run. Ryan Windt, who came on in relief for Jordan in the sixth inning, threw two straight 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth to give the ‘Jacks an enormous game one win. Windt earned the win while Vander-wall took the loss. The 8-7 win put the CrackerJacks one win away from the 2011 MCL Championship. Game two took place at Marinelli Field in Rockford, Ill., where Hasty sent Taylor to the mound to try to lock up the MCL Championship for the Cracker-Jacks. Staring elimination in the face, the Foresters responded with some late-inning magic of its own. After winning game one, the Crack-erJacks looked poised to win the league championship when they got a run in each of the first three innings. They led 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning before Rockford scored twice to tie the game and eventually send it into extra innings. Neither team scored in innings nine through 13 but in the bottom of the 14th, the Foresters got back-to-back two-out doubles from Ziggie Vanderwall and Garrett Gee to win the game in walk-off style. The win forced a decisive third game in the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Championship Series at Wayne

King Jr. Field. After the heart-breaking 14-inning loss to the Foresters in game two of the Midwest Collegiate League Champion-ship Series at Marinelli Field, the Will County CrackerJacks took the field in Joliet, Ill., for the final time on July 31, 2011 with a chance to bounce back and take the MCL title on its own turf. They did just that. The CrackerJacks got the scoring started right away in the first inning as they plated six runs on five hits against Rockford starter Craig Provow and reliever Luke Ingersoll. Michael Jordan led the inning off with a single and then stole second base. After Scott Hull walked, Jordan broke for third with Conor Szczerba at the plate. Jordan stole third base easily and the throw to third from Rockford catcher Matt Cervantes went into left field and Jordan was able to take home. Szc-zerba then singled to right field to put runners on the corners with no one out and the ‘Jacks leading 1-0. Domenic Biagini then came to the plate and lined a single to center to score Hull to make it a 2-0 game. Szczerba advanced to third on the play and then scored when Brandon Truitt stepped up and grounded a single into left field. Leading 3-0, the ‘Jacks sent Steve Kedroski to the plate and he singled home Biagini with a base hit to left field to make it 4-0. The CrackerJacks would score two more times after an error and Derek Thomas’ fielder’s choice. The six-run first was plenty of run support for CrackerJacks starter Mike Nicks, who turned in a brilliant perfor-



mance in the season’s final game. In 7 2/3 innings of work, Nicks allowed no runs on just four hits and struck out nine batters. The CrackerJacks scored twice more in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. Rockford scored once in the ninth inning with two outs off of Jordan but they were unable to score again. With two away in the ninth, Garrett Gee lined out to Chris Noble to end the ballgame and give the CrackerJacks a historic championship in their inaugural season. When Noble caught the final out, all of the CrackerJacks players rushed out of the dugout and congregated at the Wayne King, Jr. Field mound for a celebration they waited two months to have. Mike Nicks picked up his third win as a CrackerJack and first in the 2011 playoffs. He was named the MCL Championship Series Most Valuable Player on Aug. 9, 2011. Provow took the loss for the Foresters. The CrackerJacks ended the 2011 season with a 25-13 regular season record and 4-1 postseason record, fin-ishing 29-14 overall. They were just 7-8 against the Foresters in 2011, but win number seven gave them the champion-ship. The CrackerJacks completed the two-step process to the title: win the regular season, win four games in the postseason. They won 11 out of their final 12 games to capture the MCL regu-lar season and postseason titles. “I know when I talked to people before I took the job a lot of them asked me what I expected out of the team and I said I expected to win,” Hasty said.

“Obviously we recruited a lot of kids from out-of-state and I knew we had good ballplayers but you really don’t know how good they are going to be until you see the guys. It’s amazing how it all came together. These guys came in here and meshed as a team and they did a great job during the course of the season and I couldn’t be happier. “This summer is a memory that will last a lifetime. I know that all the players feel the same way. To have guys come together from eight different states for one summer and playing 40-plus games and winning a league championship is pretty incredible. It’s something I know I’ll never forget.” Hasty was named the 2011 MCL Manager of the Year for his efforts during the CrackerJacks title run. In addition, Truitt was named the MCL Semifinals Most Valuable Player, Taylor was awarded the 2011 MCL Pitcher of the Year and Szczerba garnered 2011 MCL Most Valuable Player honors. To complete the postseason ac-colades, the CrackerJacks were named the 2011 MCL Organization of the Year on Sept. 30, 2011. On Dec. 1, 2010, CrackerJacks President and General Manager Ja-mie Toole envisioned a ballclub in Will County, Ill. He started his team from scratch. On Dec. 1, 2010, Toole’s team was just a dream. On March 1, 2011, the team didn’t even have a manager. But remarkably, in just under eight months, Toole built a champion.

The Will County CrackerJacks

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2011MCL Championships1

2011 SeasonOverall Record29-14Regular Season Record25-13MCL Record23-12 (first place)MCL PlayoffsSemifinals: def. Chicago, 2-0Finals: def. Rockford, 2-1HomeRegular Season: 12-5Postseason: 2-0AwayRegular Season: 12-8Postseason: 1-1NeutralRegular Season: 1-0Postseason: 1-0

vs. Rockford (MCL second place)Regular Season: 5-7Postseason: 2-1vs. Southland (MCL third place)Regular Season: 9-3Postseason: 0-0vs. Chicago (MCL fourth place)Regular Season: 9-2Postseason: 2-0

Longest Winning Streak10 (July 17-30)Longest Losing Streak3 (June 13-16)First GameJune 3, 2011 (def. Chicago 12-6)Last GameJuly 31, 2011 (def. Rockford 8-1)

All-Stars9All-League Players7



Date Opponent Result Overall MCLJune 3, 2011 at Chicago Zephyrs W, 12-6 1-0 1-0June 4, 2011 vs. Elgin Aces W, 18-2 2-0 1-0June 8, 2011 at Rockford Foresters W, 7-4 3-0 2-0June 11, 2011 vs. Rockford Foresters L, 5-3 3-1 2-1June 11, 2011 vs. Rockford Foresters W, 6-5 4-1 3-1June 12, 2011 vs. Chicago Zephyrs W, 15-0 5-1 4-1June 12, 2011 vs. Chicago Zephyrs W, 3-1 6-1 5-1June 13, 2011 at Rockford Foresters L, 4-2 6-2 5-2June 14, 2011 at Southland Vikings L, 10-0 6-3 5-3June 16, 2011 vs. Rockford Foresters L, 4-3 6-4 5-4June 17, 2011 at Southland Vikings W, 7-6 7-4 6-4June 18, 2011 at Rockford Foresters L, 4-3 7-5 6-5June 19, 2011 at Chicago Zephyrs L, 11-8 7-6 6-6June 24, 2011 at Southland Vikings W, 10-4 8-6 7-6June 25, 2011 vs. Southland Vikings W, 2-1 9-6 8-6June 25, 2011 vs. Southland Vikings L, 5-3 9-7 8-7June 26, 2011 at Elgin Aces W, 8-4 10-7 8-7June 28, 2011 at Chicago Zephyrs L, 7-3 10-8 8-8June 29, 2011 vs. Chicago Zephyrs W, 12-6 11-8 9-8June 30, 2011 vs. Des Plaines Patriots L, 6-1 11-9 9-8July 1, 2011 at Chicago Zephyrs W, 6-5 12-9 10-8July 6, 2011 at Southland Vikings W, 3-0 13-9 11-8July 7, 2011 at Southland Vikings W, 19-16 14-9 12-8July 9, 2011 at Rockford Foresters L, 2-1 14-10 12-9July 10, 2011 vs. Southland Vikings W, 4-3 15-10 13-9July 10, 2011 vs. Southland Vikings W, 4-2 16-10 14-9July 11, 2011 vs. Southland Vikings W, 3-0 17-10 15-9July 14, 2011 vs. Southland Vikings L, 4-3 17-11 15-10July 15, 2011 at Rockford Foresters L, 11-6 17-12 15-11July 16, 2011 vs. Rockford Foresters W, 3-2 18-12 16-11July 16, 2011 at Rockford Foresters L, 9-2 18-13 16-12July 17, 2011 at Rockford Foresters W, 10-1 19-13 17-12July 18, 2011 vs. Southland Vikings W, 8-6 20-13 18-12July 20, 2011 vs. Chicago Zephyrs W, 16-4 21-13 19-12July 21, 2011 vs. Chicago Zephyrs W, 7-0 22-13 20-12July 22, 2011 at Rockford Foresters W, 12-5 23-13 21-12July 24, 2011 at Chicago Zephyrs W, 12-1 24-13 22-12July 24, 2011 at Chicago Zephyrs W, 13-4 25-13 23-12

Playoff ScheduleJuly 26, 2011 vs. Chicago Zephyrs* W, 9-5 26-13 1-0July 27, 2011 at Chicago Zephyrs* W, 10-2 27-13 2-0July 30, 2011 vs. Rockford Foresters** W, 8-7 28-13 3-0July 30, 2011 at Rockford Foresters** L, 4-3 (F/14) 28-14 3-1July 31, 2011 vs. Rockford Foresters** W, 8-1 29-14 4-1 *MCL Semifinals**MCL Championship

2011 SCHEDULE & RESULTS


PITCHING (sorted by innings pitched) Name G GS W L SV ERA CG IP H R ER BB K BA Stephen Taylor 9 8 7 0 1 0.50 4 54 1/3 32 7 3 14 52 0.169 Drew Sain 6 6 5 0 0 3.30 2 43 2/3 34 22 16 20 39 0.210 Ryan Windt 7 7 2 3 0 3.92 3 43 2/3 38 28 19 24 29 0.233 Mike Nicks 8 5 2 3 0 3.86 0 28 32 30 12 12 25 0.286 Michael Jordan 3 3 2 1 0 2.96 1 24 1/3 22 8 8 17 15 0.259 Josh Kause 5 0 3 0 1 3.79 0 19 23 13 8 2 12 0.295 Tom Laudadio 4 3 0 1 0 4.11 0 15 1/3 12 8 7 13 15 0.203 Chris Noble 6 1 1 1 1 4.05 0 13 1/3 16 10 6 7 11 0.296 Benny Collesano 9 2 1 1 0 7.30 0 12 1/3 17 14 10 9 4 0.315 Brooks McDowell 4 1 0 1 0 2.79 0 9 2/3 5 9 3 8 6 0.147 Matt Pruneau 5 1 0 2 0 9.00 0 7 7 8 7 1 4 0.259 Anthony Buonamici 3 1 0 0 0 15.43 0 4 2/3 9 10 8 8 2 0.391 Chris Bell 4 0 0 0 0 2.25 0 4 6 2 1 4 3 0.333 Kyle Cahill 3 0 0 0 0 17.18 0 3 2/3 9 8 7 2 2 0.500 Derek Thomas 2 0 1 0 0 2.45 0 3 2/3 1 1 1 3 3 0.083 Conor Szczerba 2 0 1 0 0 0.00 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 0.182 Spencer Lehmann 3 0 0 0 1 6.00 0 3 2 2 2 3 0 0.167 Mark Zhorne 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.000 Totals 38 38 25 13 4 3.63 10 292 2/3 269 180 118 147 224 0.242

HITTING (sorted by at-bats) Name G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP K SB AVG OBP SLGConor Szczerba 38 132 38 45 5 2 0 25 16 7 6 19 0.341 0.436 0.409Brandon Truitt 38 128 23 38 4 0 0 30 9 9 26 3 0.297 0.368 0.328Domenic Biagini 38 119 25 42 8 2 1 25 13 6 22 15 0.353 0.436 0.479Lendon Ehlmann 35 103 24 34 3 0 0 23 25 7 23 4 0.330 0.482 0.359Derek Thomas 34 103 21 26 4 0 0 15 14 4 14 5 0.252 0.361 0.291Colt Hankamer 34 97 18 24 4 1 0 14 12 3 24 7 0.247 0.348 0.309Chris Noble 34 94 29 30 2 1 0 15 14 5 16 19 0.319 0.430 0.362Steve Kedroski 25 80 12 15 1 0 0 10 11 6 13 2 0.188 0.327 0.200Scott Hull 22 74 21 24 4 2 1 18 8 8 8 6 0.324 0.440 0.473Steve Clancy 23 64 6 14 1 0 0 2 14 1 14 7 0.219 0.363 0.234Michael Jordan 15 47 17 18 4 0 1 15 10 3 4 13 0.383 0.517 0.532Mark Zhorne 16 32 7 11 0 0 0 6 7 0 5 1 0.344 0.462 0.344Chris Bell 11 25 5 6 1 0 0 3 5 0 6 1 0.240 0.367 0.280Rick Gazarek 6 18 2 4 1 0 0 2 0 0 4 1 0.222 0.222 0.278Kyle Thomas 6 15 2 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 5 0 0.200 0.250 0.267Dominic Denney 8 15 6 4 0 1 0 1 8 0 5 0 0.267 0.522 0.400Spencer Lehmann 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0.500 0.500 0.500Josh Kause 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.000 0.000 0.000Nick Emmole 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 Matt Gustafson 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 Justin Westre 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.000 0.500 0.000 Anthony Buonamici 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.000 1.000 0.000Totals 38 1158 258 340 43 9 3 208 170 59 198 103 0.294 0.406 0.354

2011 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS


Wins1. Steve Taylor 72. Drew Sain 53. Josh Kause 34. Three tied with 2

Earned Run Average (min. 10 IP)1. Steve Taylor 0.502. Michael Jordan 2.963. Drew Sain 3.304. Josh Kause 3.795. Mike Nicks 3.86

Strikeouts1. Steve Taylor 522. Drew Sain 393. Ryan Windt 294. Mike Nicks 255. Jordan/Tom Laudadio 15

Innings Pitched1. Steve Taylor 54.12. Drew Sain 43.22. Ryan Windt 43.24. Mike Nicks 28.05. Michael Jordan 24.1

Games Started1. Steve Taylor 8 2. Ryan Windt 73. Drew Sain 64. Mike Nicks 55. Jordan/Laudadio 3

Batting Average (min. 10 IP)1. Steve Taylor 0.1692. Tom Laudadio 0.2033. Drew Sain 0.2104. Ryan Windt 0.2335. Michael Jordan 0.259

Complete Games1. Steve Taylor 42. Ryan Windt 33. Drew Sain 24. Michael Jordan 1

Saves1. Steve Taylor 11. Chris Noble 11. Josh Kause 11. Spencer Lehmann 1

Batting Average (min. 70 AB)1. Domenic Biagini 0.3532. Conor Szczerba 0.3413. Lendon Ehlmann 0.3304. Scott Hull 0.3245. Chris Noble 0.319

Hits1. Conor Szczerba 452. Domenic Biagini 423. Brandon Truitt 3 84. Lendon Ehlmann 345. Chris Noble 30

Runs Scored1. Conor Szczerba 382. Chris Noble 293. Domenic Biagini 254. Lendon Ehlmann 245. Brandon Truitt 23

Runs Batted In1. Brandon Truitt 302. Conor Szczerba 252. Domenic Biagini 254. Lendon Ehlmann 235. Scott Hull 18

Doubles1. Domenic Biagini 82. Conor Szczerba 53. Five tied with 4

Triples1. Domenic Biagini 21. Conor Szczerba 21. Scott Hull 24. Three tied with 1

Home Runs1. Domenic Biagini 11. Scott Hull 11. Michael Jordan 1

Walks1. Lendon Ehlmann 252. Conor Szczerba 163. Chris Noble 143. Derek Thomas 143. Steve Clancy 14

Hit By Pitch1. Brandon Truitt 92. Scott Hull 83. Lendon Ehlmann 74. Conor Szczerba 75. Two tied with 6

At-Bats1. Conor Szczerba 1322. Brandon Truitt 1283. Domenic Biagini 1194. Lendon Ehlmann 1034. Derek Thomas 103

Stolen Bases1. Conor Szczerba 192. Chris Noble 193. Domenic Biagini 154. Michael Jordan 135. Two tied with 7

On-Base Percentage (min. 70 AB)1. Lendon Ehlmann 0.4822. Scott Hull 0.4403. Conor Szczerba 0.4363. Domenic Biagini 0.4365. Chris Noble 0.430

Slugging Percentage (min. 70 AB)1. Domenic Biagini 0.4792. Scott Hull 0.4733. Conor Szczerba 0.4094. Chris Noble 0.3625. Lendon Ehlmann 0.359

2011 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICAL CATEGORY LEADERS


PITCHING (sorted by innings pitched) Name G GS W L SV ERA CG IP H R ER BB K BA Stephen Taylor 2 2 1 0 0 2.76 1 16.1 17 8 5 1 10 0.258Mike Nicks 3 1 1 0 0 0.00 0 10 5 0 0 2 9 0.156Michael Jordan 2 1 0 0 0 9.00 0 7 11 7 7 4 6 0.367Drew Sain 1 1 1 0 0 3.00 0 6 5 2 2 5 4 0.227Ryan Windt 2 0 1 0 0 1.59 0 5.2 5 1 1 3 2 0.238Chris Noble 1 0 0 1 0 2.70 0 3.1 3 1 1 3 0 0.214Mark Zhorne 2 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 1.1 1 0 0 2 1 0.167Spencer Lehmann 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.000Totals 5 5 4 1 0 2.84 1 50.2 47 19 16 20 33 0.243HITTING (sorted by batting average) Name G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP K SB AVG OBP SLGMichael Jordan 5 22 9 10 0 0 1 4 3 0 3 4 0.455 0.520 0.591 Brandon Truitt 5 22 4 9 0 0 0 4 2 0 1 1 0.409 0.458 0.409 Conor Szczerba 5 21 7 8 1 1 0 6 2 0 0 2 0.381 0.400 0.524 Colt Hankamer 2 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.333 0.500 0.333 Scott Hull 5 22 4 7 2 0 0 5 1 3 1 0 0.318 0.423 0.409 Chris Noble 5 23 0 7 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 0.304 0.333 0.348 Steve Kedroski 3 11 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0.273 0.333 0.273 Lendon Ehlmann 5 19 4 5 1 0 0 3 2 3 7 1 0.263 0.417 0.316 Chris Bell 2 8 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0.250 0.333 0.250 Domenic Biagini 5 21 4 5 1 0 0 3 4 0 2 2 0.238 0.360 0.286 Derek Thomas 4 15 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 2 0.133 0.235 0.133 Mark Zhorne 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 Ryan Windt 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 Totals 5 192 38 59 6 1 1 28 18 8 25 13 0.307 0.386 0.365

Final (Game 1) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Zephyrs (0-1) 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 5 11 2 CrackerJacks (1-0) 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 3 x 9 11 3

2011 Midwest Collegiate League Semifinals vs. Chicago Zephyrs • July 26-27, 2011

Final (Game 2) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E CrackerJacks (2-0) 4 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 17 0 Zephyrs (0-2) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 2

2011 Midwest Collegiate League Championship vs. Rockford Foresters • July 30-31, 2011Final (Game 1) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Foresters (0-1) 3 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 7 10 1CrackerJacks (1-0) 1 0 2 0 0 2 3 0 x 8 9 1

Final (Game 2) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 R H E CrackerJacks (1-1) 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 10 0 Foresters (1-1) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 14 1

Final (Game 3) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Foresters (1-2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 3 CrackerJacks (2-1) 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 x 8 12 0

2011 POSTSEASON STATISTICS


Wins1. Steve Taylor 11. Drew Sain 11. Ryan Windt 11. Mike Nicks 1

Earned Run Average1. Mike Nicks 0.001. Mark Zhorne 0.001. Spencer Lehmann 0.004. Ryan Windt 1.595. Chris Noble 2.70

Strikeouts1. Steve Taylor 102. Mike Nicks 93. Michael Jordan 64. Drew Sain 45. Ryan Windt 2

Innings Pitched1. Steve Taylor 16.12. Mike Nicks 10.03. Michael Jordan 7.04. Drew Sain 6.05. Ryan Windt 5.2

Games Started1. Steve Taylor 22. Mike Nicks 12. Michael Jordan 12. Drew Sain 1

Batting Average1. Spencer Lehmann 0.0002. Mike Nicks 0.1563. Mark Zhorne 0.1674. Chris Noble 0.2145. Drew Sain 0.227

Complete Games1. Steve Taylor 1

SavesNo saves were recorded during the 2011 postseason.

Batting Average1. Michael Jordan 0.4552. Brandon Truitt 0.4093. Conor Szczerba 0.3814. Colt Hankamer 0.3335. Scott Hull 0.318

Hits1. Michael Jordan 102. Brandon Truitt 93. Conor Szczerba 84. Scott Hull 74. Chris Noble 7

Runs Scored1. Michael Jordan 92. Conor Szczerba 73. Four tied with 4

Runs Batted In1. Conor Szczerba 62. Scott Hull 53. Michael Jordan 43. Brandon Truitt 4 5. Ehlmann/Biagini 3

Doubles1. Scott Hull 2 2. Conor Szczerba 12. Lendon Ehlmann 12. Domenic Biagini 12. Chris Noble 1

Triples1. Conor Szczerba 1

Home Runs1. Michael Jordan 1

Walks1. Domenic Biagini 42. Michael Jordan 33. Conor Szczerba 23. Brandon Truitt 23. Lendon Ehlmann 2

Hit By Pitch1. Lendon Ehlmann 31. Scott Hull 33. Derek Thomas 13. Chris Noble 1

At-Bats1. Chris Noble 232. Michael Jordan 222. Brandon Truitt 222. Scott Hull 225. Biagini/Szczerba 21

Stolen Bases1. Michael Jordan 42. Domenic Biagini 23. Conor Szczerba 24. Derek Thomas 25. Three tied with 1

On-Base Percentage1. Michael Jordan 0.5202. Colt Hankamer 0.5003. Brandon Truitt 0.4584. Scott Hull 0.4235. Lendon Ehlmann 0.417

Slugging Percentage1. Michael Jordan 0.5912. Conor Szczerba 0.5243. Brandon Truitt 0.4094. Scott Hull 0.4095. Chris Noble 0.348

2011 POSTSEASON STATISTICAL CATEGORY LEADERS


Will County CrackerJacks2011 MCL Regular Season Champions

2011 MCL Tournament Champions2011 MCL Organization of the Year

Vern Hasty2011 MCL

Manager of the Year

Mike NicksMCL Finals MVP

MCL All-Star

Conor SzczerbaMCL MVP

MCL All-StarMCL All-League

Steve TaylorMCL

Pitcher of the YearMCL All-Star

MCL All-League

Domenic BiaginiMCL All-Star

MCL All-League

Lendon EhlmannMCL All-Star

MCL All-League

Brandon TruittMCL Semifinals MVP

MCL All-StarMCL All-League

Derek ThomasMCL All-Star

Ryan WindtMCL All-Star

Drew SainMCL All-Star

MCL All-League

Michael JordanMCL All-League

2011 ORGANIZATIONAL & INDIVIDUAL AWARDS


All-Time Single-Season Team Records(all records include postseason games unless otherwise noted)

Wins.................................................................................................................................................................................29 (2011)Games Played...............................................................................................................................................................43 (2011)Consecutive Wins.............................................................................................................................................10 (6/17-30/2011)Winning Percentage.................................................................................................................................................0.674 (2011)

BattingAt-Bats.........................................................................................................................................................................1,350 (2011)Batting Average.................................................................................................................................0.296 (2011, 399-for-1,350)Hits..................................................................................................................................................................................399 (2011)Doubles...........................................................................................................................................................................49 (2011)Triples...............................................................................................................................................................................10 (2011)Home Runs......................................................................................................................................................................6 (2012)Runs Scored................................................................................................................................................................296 (2011)Runs Scored Per Game.............................................................................................................................................6.89 (2011)Runs Batted In.............................................................................................................................................................236 (2011)Slugging Percentage................................................................................................................................................0.355 (2011)On-Base Percentage................................................................................................................................................0.403 (2011)Stolen Bases................................................................................................................................................................116 (2011)Walks................................................................................................................................................................................188 (2011)Sacrifice Flies................................................................................................................................................................18 (2011)Hit By Pitch....................................................................................................................................................................67 (2011)

PitchingInnings Pitched......................................................................................................................................................343 1/3 (2011)Complete Games...........................................................................................................................................................11 (2011)Saves....................................................................................................................................................................................4 (2011)Lowest Earned Run Average....................................................................................................................................3.51 (2011)Most Runs Allowed.....................................................................................................................................................199 (2011)Fewest Runs Allowed..................................................................................................................................................199 (2011)Most Earned Runs Allowed.........................................................................................................................................134 (2011)Fewest Earned Runs Allowed......................................................................................................................................134 (2011)Most Hits Allowed........................................................................................................................................................316 (2011)Fewest Hits Allowed....................................................................................................................................................316 (2011) Strikeouts..........................................................................................................................................................................257 (2011)Most Walks Allowed....................................................................................................................................................167 (2011) Fewest Walks Allowed.................................................................................................................................................167 (2011)Highest Batting Average..........................................................................................................................................0.242 (2011)Lowest Batting Average...........................................................................................................................................0.242 (2011)

Fielding*Putouts...........................................................................................................................................................................889 (2011)Assists...........................................................................................................................................................................355 (2011)Fielding Percentage..................................................................................................................................................0.951 (2011)*Does not include 2011 postseason

FRANCHISE RECORDS - TEAM


All-Time Single-Game Team Records(all records include postseason games unless otherwise noted)

Longest Game....................................................................................................................................3:50 (6/9/2012 at DeKalb)Innings Played....................................................................................................................................14 (7/30/2011 at Rockford)Largest Margin of Victory.................................................................................................................18 (6/18/2012 at Southland)

BattingRuns Scored......................................................................................................................................19 (7/7/2011 at Southland)Hits.....................................................................................................................................................21 (7/7/2011 at Southland)Most Runs in an Inning......................................................................................................................10 (6/18/2012 at Southland)Doubles............................................................4 (7/6/2011 at Southland, 7/16/2011 at Rockford, 6/6/2012 at Northwest Indiana)Triples...................................................................................................................................................3 (6/12/2011 vs. Chicago)Home Runs........................................................................................................................................3 (6/18/2012 at Southland)Runs Batted In.....................................................................................................18 (6/4/2011 vs. Elgin, 6/18/2012 at Southland)Walks..................................................................................................................................................15 (7/7/2011 at Southland)Stolen Bases........................................................................................................................................9 (7/22/2011 at Rockford)Sacrifice Flies.........................................................................................................................................2(6/29/2011 vs. Chicago)Hit By Pitch............................................................................................................................................5 (7/21/2011 vs. Chicago)Most At-Bats..................................................................................................48 (7/7/2011 at Southland, 7/30/2011 at Rockford)Fewest At-Bats...................................................................................................................................14 (7/21/2011 vs. Chicago)Strikeouts...............................................................................................................................................13 (6/9/2012 at DeKalb)

PitchingStrikeouts.........................................................................................................................................12 (7/10/2011 vs. Southland)Runs Allowed......................................................................................................................................16 (7/7/2011 at Southland)Most Runs Allowed in an Inning...............................................................................................................9 (6/11/2012 at DeKalb)Hits Allowed........................................................................................................................................18 (7/7/2011 at Southland)Walks Allowed.......................................................................................................................................13 (6/11/2012 at DeKalb)Most At-Bats Allowed........................................................................................................................49 (7/30/2011 at Rockford)Fewest At-Bats Allowed......................................................................................................................13 (7/21/2011 vs. Chicago)

FieldingErrors.....................................................................................................................................................8 (6/11/2012 at DeKalb)

FRANCHISE RECORDS - TEAM


All-Time Single-Season Individual Records(all records include postseason games unless otherwise noted)

BattingGames Played..............................................................................43, Conor Szczerba, Domenic Biagini, Brandon Truitt (2011)At-Bats.............................................................................................................................................153, Conor Szczerba (2011)Batting Average (min. 90 AB)........................................................................................................0.346, Conor Szczerba (2011)Hits.....................................................................................................................................................53, Conor Szczerba (2011)Doubles................................................................................................................................................9, Domenic Biagini (2011)Triples...................................................................................................................................................3, Conor Szczerba (2011)Home Runs.............................................................................................................................................2, Michael Jordan (2011)Runs Scored........................................................................................................................................45, Conor Szczerba (2011)Runs Batted In......................................................................................................................................34, Brandon Truitt (2011)Slugging Percentage (min. 90 AB)...........................................................................................................0.458, Scott Hull (2011)On-Base Percentage (min. 90 AB)..............................................................................................0.472, Lendon Ehlmann (2011)Stolen Bases.......................................................................................................................................21, Conor Szczerba (2011)Walks.................................................................................................................................................27, Lendon Ehlmann (2011)Sacrifice Flies..........................................................................................................................................6, Brandon Truitt (2011)Hit By Pitch....................................................................................................................................................11, Scott Hull (2011)Strikeouts..........................................................................................................................................30, Lendon Ehlmann (2011)

PitchingAppearances..........................................................................................................................11, Steve Taylor, Mike Nicks (2011)Starts.........................................................................................................................................................10, Steve Taylor (2011)Complete Games........................................................................................................................................5, Steve Taylor (2011)Innings Pitched....................................................................................................................................70 2/3, Steve Taylor (2011)Wins..............................................................................................................................................................8, Steve Taylor (2011)Lowest Earned Run Average.................................................................................................................1.01, Steve Taylor (2011)Winning Percentage (min. six appearances)....................................................................1.000, Steve Taylor, Drew Sain (2011)Saves................................................................................1, Steve Taylor, Josh Kause, Chris Noble, Spencer Lehmann (2011)Most Earned Runs Allowed.......................................................................................................................20, Ryan Windt (2011)Fewest Earned Runs Allowed (min. six appearances)...............................................................................7, Chris Noble (2011) Most Hits Allowed.....................................................................................................................................49, Steve Taylor (2011)Strikeouts.................................................................................................................................................62, Steve Taylor (2011)Walks.........................................................................................................................................................27, Ryan Windt (2011)

Fielding*Putouts............................................................................................................................................219, Lendon Ehlmann (2011)Assists.....................................................................................................................84, Conor Szczerba, Colt Hankamer (2011)Errors...................................................................................................................................................18, Colt Hankamer (2011)Fielding Percentage (min. 25 chances).............................................................................................1.000, Derek Thomas (2011)*Does not include 2011 postseason

FRANCHISE RECORDS - INDIVIDUAL


All-Time Single-Game Individual Records(all records include postseason games unless otherwise noted)

BattingRuns Scored.............................................................................................................................4, Scott Hull (6/4/2011 vs. Elgin)........................................................................................................................................4, Chris Noble (7/7/2011 at Southland)Hits.......................................................................................................................................5, Mitch Elliott (6/9/2012 at DeKalb)Doubles.........................................2, Domenic Biagini (6/11/2011 vs. Rockford, 7/9/2011 at Rockford, 7/18/2011 vs. Southland).....................................................................................................................................2, Colt Hankamer (6/29/2011 vs. Chicago)....................................................................................................2, Daniel Nevares (6/2/2012 at DuPage, 6/3/2012 at DeKalb)Triples..............................................................................................................................................................1 (Seven players)Home Runs.......................................................................................................................................................1, (eight players)Runs Batted In..............................................................................................................5, Derek Thomas (7/20/2011 vs. Chicago)..................................................................................................................................5, Michael Vilardo (6/18/2012 at Southland)At-Bats..........................................................................................................................7, Brandon Truitt (7/7/2011 at Southland)............................................................................................................................................7, Mitch Elliott (6/9/2012 at DeKalb)Walks.................................................................................................................................3, Scott Hull (6/13/2011 at Rockford)..................................................................................................................................3, Dominic Denney (6/19/2011 at Chicago).................................................................................................................................3, Lendon Ehlmann (7/7/2011 at Southland).........................................................................................................................................3, John Menken (6/2/2012 at DuPage)Stolen Bases....................................................................................................................4, Chris Noble (7/7/2011 at Southland)Sacrifice Flies..........................................................................................................................................................1 (11 players)Hit By Pitch..........................................................................................................................................................2 (five players)Strikeouts........................................................................................................................4,Mitch Elliott (6/18/2012 at Southland)

PitchingInnings Pitched..............................................................................................9, Steve Taylor (6/17/2011, 7/6/2011 at Southland)..................................................................................................................................9, Michael Jordan (7/17/2011 at Rockford)Strikeouts......................................................................................................................11, Steve Taylor (7/6/2011 at Southland)Earned Runs Allowed..............................................................................................6, Michael Jordan (7/30/2011 vs. Rockford)...................................................................................................................................6, Matt Pruneau (6/14/2011 at Southland)Hits............................................................................................................................11, Ryan Windt (6/30/2011 vs. Des Plaines).....................................................................................................................................11, Mike Nicks (7/14/2011 vs. Southland)......................................................................................................................................11, Steve Taylor (7/26/2011 vs. Chicago)Walks.........................................................................................................................9, Michael Jordan (7/22/2011 at Rockford)

FieldingErrors...................................................................................................................................................2 (11 different occasions)

FRANCHISE RECORDS - INDIVIDUAL


December 1, 2010Former Joliet JackHammers General Manager Jamie Toole announces that there will be a collegiate league baseball team playing in Will County in the summer of 2011.

January 25, 2011The Will County Summer Collegiate Baseball Club an-nounces its first player signing, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Ryan Windt.

March 1, 2011Toole reveals that the Will County club will be named the Will County CrackerJacks.

March 16, 2011Vern Hasty is named the first manager in CrackerJacks franchise history.

May 10, 2011The CrackerJacks finalize its inaugural season schedule.

May 31, 2011Chicago Cubs broadcaster Keith Moreland speaks at the first “CrackerJacks Lead-Off Luncheon.”

June 3, 2011The CrackerJacks play its first game in franchise history and defeat the Chicago Zephyrs 12-6 in Sugar Grove, Ill.

June 11, 2011The CrackerJacks play its first home game in franchise his-tory, losing to the Rockford Foresters 5-3 at Wayne King, Jr. Field in Joliet, Ill.

July 6, 2011The CrackerJacks play its longest game in franchise history, outlasting the Southland Vikings 19-16 in 3:29 in Flossmoor, Ill.

July 13, 2011Nine members of the CrackerJacks are named to the 2011 MCL All-Star team.

July 24, 2011The CrackerJacks beat the Chicago Zephyrs 13-4 on the final day of the 2011 regular season to capture the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Regular Season Championship.

July 27, 2011After beating the Zephyrs 10-2, the CrackerJacks sweep its first postseason series (2-0) and advance to the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Championship Series.

July 31, 2011The CrackerJacks win the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League by knocking off the Rockford Foresters 8-1 in the third and decisive game of the series.

September 30, 2011The Midwest Collegiate League awards the 2011 Organiza-tion of the Year to Toole’s CrackerJacks.

October 24, 2011The CrackerJacks unveil the renderings of Will County Stadium, the future home of the CrackerJacks. Will County Stadium is scheduled to open in May 2014.

February 1, 2012The CrackerJacks announce its new home, Lewis Univer-sity’s Brennan Field.

February 16, 2012Chicago Cubs broadcaster Pat Hughes speaks at the first “CrackerJacks Hot Stove Luncheon.”

May 31, 2012Ernie Banks is featured at the CrackerJacks First Pitch Party in Plainfield, Ill.

IMPORTANT DATES IN FRANCHISE HISTORY


The Midwest Collegiate LeagueP.O. Box 172

Flossmoor, Ill., 60422Phone Number: 312-420-1268

Email Address: [email protected]: www.midwestcollegiateleague.com

League Commissioner: Don Popravak

About the Midwest Collegiate LeagueThe Midwest Collegiate League (MCL) announced its formation as America’s newest collegiate summer wooden bat base-ball league in 2010 with four founding member clubs. The Chicago Zephyrs, Rockford Foresters, Southland Vikings and the Will County CrackerJacks baseball clubs formed the nucleus of the new league during its inaugural 2011 season. During the 2011 offseason, the MCL doubled in size, adding the Illinois Lincolns, DuPage Hounds, Northwest Indiana Oilmen and DeKalb County Liners.

Play is scheduled to begin June 1, 2012. Teams will play over 40 games within an eight-week span in addition to an All-Star Game and postseason league playoffs. The MCL will feature a Scout Evaluation Day as part of its All-Star Festivities as well. The league will be divided into two divisions, North and South. The Will County CrackerJacks, Southland Vikings, Il-linois Lincolns and Northwest Indiana Oilmen will battle for the South Division title, while the Rockford Foresters, DuPage Hounds, Chicago Zephyrs and DeKalb County Liners will be featured in the North Division. Four teams will qualify for the 2012 MCL Playoffs, including the North and South Division winners. In addition, two wild-card teams (the two teams with the best winning percentages, regardless of division, following the division winners), will compete in postseason play.

Mission Statement of the Midwest Collegiate LeagueThe Midwest Collegiate League will provide and promote premier summer collegiate baseball to communities across the midwest in a family-oriented, affordable environment which will be held at the highest levels of integrity while operating in a socially responsible manner.

The MCL is a summer collegiate baseball league that includes players who are enrolled in college during the academic year and have remaining eligibility. Our baseball players compete at some of top baseball programs in the nation and they come to the MCL to play with wood bats, improve their skills and perform in front of Major League Baseball scouts and local fans.

MCL teams are part of the local fabric of the community and encourage various groups and businesses to gather at the ballpark for events that promote their business and their support of our teams. Affordable tickets, concessions and merchandise mean families can enjoy MCL baseball for far less than a Major League Baseball game. Our players are approachable and enthusiastic role models who live either with their respective families or with host families during the season. Midwest Collegiate League baseball is what baseball is meant to be for midwest communities large and small.

THE MIDWEST COLLEGIATE LEAGUE


Final 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Regular Season Standings

Team Record GB PCTWill County CrackerJacks 23-12 - .657Rockford Foresters 22-13 1.0 .629Southland Vikings 16-17 6.0 .485Chicago Zephyrs 6-24 14.5 .200

2011 Midwest Collegiate League Playoff Bracket

(1) Will County CrackerJacks

(4) Chicago Zephyrs

(3) Southland Vikings

(2) Rockford Foresters

July 26-27, 2011

July 26-29, 2011

July 30-31, 2011

Will County CrackerJacks, 2-0

Rockford Foresters, 2-1

Will County CrackerJacks, 2-1

FINAL 2011 MIDWEST COLLEGIATE LEAGUE SEASON RESULTS


Game 1: July 26, 2011 (at Oil City Stadium; Whiting, Ind.)Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Zephyrs (0-1) 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 5 11 2 CrackerJacks (1-0) 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 3 x 9 11 3

Game 2: July 27, 2011 (at Waubonsee Community College; Sugar Grove, Ill.)Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E CrackerJacks (2-0) 4 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 17 0 Zephyrs (0-2) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 2

Game 1: July 30, 2011 (at Wayne King, Jr. Field; Joliet, Ill.)Final (Game 1) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Foresters (0-1) 3 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 7 10 1CrackerJacks (1-0) 1 0 2 0 0 2 3 0 x 8 9 1

Game 2: July 30, 2011 (at Marinelli Field; Rockford, Ill.)Final (Game 2) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 R H E CrackerJacks (1-1) 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 10 0 Foresters (1-1) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 14 1

Game 3: July 31, 2011 (at Wayne King, Jr. Field; Joliet, Ill.)Final (Game 3) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Foresters (1-2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 3 CrackerJacks (2-1) 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 x 8 12 0

Game 1: July 26, 2011 (at Marinelli Field; Rockford, Ill.)Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E Vikings (0-1) 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 5 11 3 Foresters (1-0) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 1 6 7 5

Game 2: July 27, 2011 (at Homewood Flossmoor High School; Flossmoor, Ill.)Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Foresters (1-1) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 5 2 Vikings (1-1) 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 4 5 2

Game 3: July 29, 2011 (at Marinelli Field; Rockford, Ill.)Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Vikings (1-2) 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 5 4 Foresters (2-1) 2 0 0 2 0 0 4 1 0 9 12 3

2011 MIDWEST COLLEGIATE LEAGUE PLAYOFFS - LINE SCORES

2011 Midwest Collegiate League Semifinals (July 26-27)(1) Will County CrackerJacks def. (4) Chicago Zephyrs, 2-0

2011 Midwest Collegiate League Semifinals (July 26-29)(2) Rockford Foresters def. (3) Southland Vikings, 2-1

2011 Midwest Collegiate League Championship (July 30-31)(1) Will County CrackerJacks def. (2) Rockford Foresters, 2-1


The 2011 Midwest Collegiate League All-Star Gameat Oil City Stadium (Whiting, Ind.)

July 13, 2011 (8:00 p.m.) Other Information Location: Whiting, Ind.South All-Stars 7 Stadium: Oil City StadiumNorth All-Stars 8 Attendance: 710 Duration: 3:00

Official Box Score

South All-Stars 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 7 10 1North All-Stars 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 2 0 1 8 13 4

South All-Stars North All-Stars

On July 13, 2011, the Midwest Collegiate League held its first All-Star Game at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind. Over 700 people from around the country attended the event, which featured players from the Will County CrackerJacks, Southland Vikings, Rockford Foresters and Chicago Zephyrs.

The game was played between the North All-Stars, made up of members from the Foresters and Zephyrs, and the South All-Stars, the CrackerJacks and Vikings. In exactly three hours, the North All-Stars knocked off the South All-Stars 8-7 in 10 innings. Rockford Foresters shortstop Regulo Moy was named the game’s most valuable player.

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E

Hitters AB R H RBI BB SOArmstrong, 3B/RF 5 0 1 0 0 2Szczerba, 2B/3B 3 2 2 1 2 0Doyle, SS 4 0 1 0 1 2Patteson, DH 5 0 0 1 0 0Biagini, LF/EH 4 2 1 0 1 0Ehlmann, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Nelson, P 1 0 0 0 0 1Rush, CF 3 2 2 1 1 1Dawson, EH/2B 4 0 1 1 0 1Duggan, C 2 0 0 0 0 2 Truitt, C 2 1 1 0 0 0Thomas, RF/CF/LF 4 0 1 2 0 0Totals 41 7 10 6 5 11BattingRBI: Szczerba, Patteson, Rush, Dawson, Thomas (2)BaserunningSB: Szczerba (2), RushFieldingErrors: TruittPitchers IP H R ER BB SOHauge 1.0 1 0 0 1 2Negele 2.0 4 2 2 2 1Windt 2.0 2 0 0 1 0Nicks 1.0 0 0 0 1 1Nelson 0.1 4 3 3 1 0Jones 1.2 1 2 0 1 5Rush (L) 1.1 1 1 1 1 0Totals 9.1 13 8 6 8 9

Hitters AB R H RBI BB SOWisowaty, RF 3 2 2 0 2 0Moy, SS 6 1 3 1 0 1Cowhey, LF 4 2 2 2 1 2Craig, DH 3 0 0 0 0 1Richardson, DH 2 0 0 0 0 1Streed, 1B/P 3 0 1 0 0 1 Collins, 1B 2 0 1 1 0 0Wimberly, 2B/P 1 1 0 0 1 0Vanderwall, EH/P 1 0 0 0 0 0Hickey, CF 4 0 1 2 1 1Renaud, 3B 5 0 1 0 0 2Payne, C/3B 3 2 2 0 2 0 Winkler, C 2 0 0 0 1 0Totals 39 8 13 6 8 9Batting2B: Moy, Hickey3B: CowheyRBI: Moy, Cowhey (2), Collins, Hickey (2)HBP: Wisowaty, Wimberly, Hickey, WinklerBaserunningSB: Wisowaty, Moy (2), CoweyFieldingErrors: Renaud, Payne, Moy (2)Pitchers IP H R ER BB SOIngersoll 2.0 1 2 0 1 2Derby 1.0 0 0 0 1 2McCabe 1.0 3 1 1 0 1Hudspeth 1.0 2 1 0 0 0Wimberly 1.0 0 0 0 0 2Gonzalez 1.0 0 0 0 0 0Vanderwall 1.0 0 0 0 1 1Raver (BS) 1.0 4 3 3 2 3Streed (W) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0Totals 10.0 10 7 4 5 11

2011 MIDWEST COLLEGIATE LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME


2012 Midwest Collegiate League Playoff Format

Participants: Two division winners (North and South) and two wild-card teams in the Midwest Collegiate League, a summer collegiate baseball league that features the Will County CrackerJacks, Rockford Foresters, DuPage Hounds, Chicago Zeph-yrs, Illinois Lincolns, DeKalb County Liners, Northwest Indiana Oilmen and Southland Vikings. The two wild-card teams may potentially come from the same division.Dates: MCL Semifinals - July 31, August 1-2*; MCL Championship - August 3-5*Format: Two best-of-three semifinal series followed by one best-of-three championship series.2011 Championship: Will County CrackerJacks def. Rockford Foresters, 2-1

2012 Midwest Collegiate League Playoff Bracket

(1) Division winner (best win pct.)

(4) Wild card (second-best wild card win pct.)

(3) Wild card (best wild card win pct.)

(2) Division winner (second best win pct.)

Series A (best-of-three)July 31-August 2, 2012

Series B (best-of-three)July 31-August 2, 2012

Series C (best-of-three)August 3-5, 2012

Winner, Series A

Winner, Series B

Winner, Series C

*Game 3 in MCL and MCL Finals (August 2 and 5, respectively) if necessary

North Division Chicago ZephyrsDeKalb LinersRockford ForestersDuPage Hounds

South DivisionWill County CrackerJacksNorthwest Indiana OilmenSouthland VikingsIllinois Lincolns

2012 MIDWEST COLLEGIATE LEAGUE PLAYOFFS


ROCKFORDFORESTERSLocation: Rockford, Ill.Founded: 2010Colors: Green, Black, GreyHome Ballpark: Marinelli Field

Mailing AddressP.O. Box 611, Rockford, IL 61105Phone(815) 312-2115Websitewww.rockfordforesters.comEmailtickets@rockfordforesters.com

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2010*MCL Championships1 (2010)*2011 MCL Record22-13 (second place)2011 MCL PlayoffsSemifinals: def. Southland, 2-1Finals: lost to Will County, 2-1StadiumMarinelli FieldStadium Address101 15th Avenue, Rockford, IL 61104

President & Majority OwnerJoe StefaniAssistant General ManagerJosh VanSwolDirector of Group TicketsDan StachowskiDirector of Game Day OperationsJennifer Tobin-TinchPublic Relations CoordinatorDerrick Zimmerman

ManagerBen Albury*The MCL was known as the Great Plains League in 2010.

At a Glance: CrackerJacks vs. Rockford

Travel Time from Brennan Field to RockfordVia I-88 W: 1 hour, 49 minutes (97.81 miles)Via I-90 W: 1 hour, 53 minutes (96.53 miles)Via I-64 W: 2 hours, 1 minute (93.63 miles)

CrackerJacks vs. Rockford in 2012Matchups: 5Games at Brennan Field: 3 (July 2, 5, 21)Games at Marinelli Field: 2 (June 20; July 7)

All-Time vs. Rockford: 7-8Regular Season: 5-7Postseason: 2-12011 vs. Rockford: 7-8Regular Season: 5-7Postseason: 2-1Record at Marinelli FieldRegular Season: 3-5Postseason: 0-1Record at HomeRegular Season (Wayne King, Jr. Field): 2-2Postseason (Wayne King, Jr. Field): 2-0First MeetingJune 8, 2011 at Marinelli Field Final score: CrackerJacks 7, Rockford 4 Last MeetingJuly 31, 2011 at Wayne King, Jr. Field Final score: CrackerJacks 8, Foresters 1


SOUTHLANDVIKINGSLocation: Flossmoor, Ill.Founded: 2003Colors: Red, Black, GreyHome Ballpark: Homewood-Flossmoor High School

Mailing AddressP.O. Box 172, Flossmoor, IL 60422Phone(312) 420-1268Websitewww.southlandvikings.comEmailinfo@southlandvikings.com

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2011MCL Championships02011 MCL Record16-17 (third place)2011 MCL PlayoffsSemifinals: lost to Rockford, 2-1StadiumHomewood-Flossmoor High SchoolStadium Address999 Kedzie Avenue, Flossmoor, IL 60422

President & General ManagerDon Popravak

ManagerChris CunninghamAssociate Head CoachMarvin Freeman

At a Glance: CrackerJacks vs. Southland

Travel Time from Brennan Field to FlossmoorVia I-355 S to I-80 E: 36 minutes (27.03 miles)Via I-80 E to Flossmoor Rd.: 34 minutes (24.50 miles)S Briggs St. to I-80 E: 41 minutes (29.20 miles)

CrackerJacks vs. Southland in 2012Matchups: 10Games at Brennan Field: 6 (June 17, 29; July 8, 13, 15, 29 )Games at Homewood-Flossmoor: 4 (June 1; July 6, 18, 25)

All-Time vs. Southland: 9-3Regular Season: 9-3Postseason: 0-02011 vs. Southland: 9-3Regular Season: 9-3Postseason: 0-0Record at Homewood-Flossmoor High SchoolRegular Season: 4-1Postseason: 0-0Record at HomeRegular Season (Wayne King, Jr. Field): 5-2Postseason (Wayne King, Jr. Field): 0-0First MeetingJune 14, 2011 at Homewood-Flossmoor High SchoolFinal score: Southland 10, CrackerJacks 0Last MeetingJuly 18, 2011 at Wayne King, Jr. Field Final score: CrackerJacks 8, Southland 6


CHICAGOZEPHYRSLocation: Sugar Grove, Ill.Founded: 1999Colors: Navy Blue, Green, Gold, WhiteHome Ballpark: Waubonsee Community College

Mailing Address3 S. Winfield Road, Warrenville, IL 60555Phone(630) [email protected]

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2010*MCL Championships02011 MCL Record6-24 (fourth place)2011 MCL PlayoffsSemifinals: lost to Will County, 2-0StadiumWaubonsee Community CollegeStadium Address4S783 State Route 47, Sugar Grove, IL 60554

President & General ManagerMarco FajardoAssistant General ManagerJeff Marcley

ManagerMarco FajardoAssociate Head CoachJeff MarcleyPitching CoachTom KinneyAssistant CoachLuis Gil*The MCL was known as the Great Plains League in 2010.

At a Glance: CrackerJacks vs. Chicago

Travel Time from Brennan Field to Sugar GroveVia US-30: 45 minutes (31.85 miles)Via IL-126: 47 minutes (33.20 miles)

CrackerJacks vs. Chicago in 2012Matchups: 5Games at Brennan Field: 2 (June 16, 21)Games at Waubonsee Community College: 3 (June 12, 22-23)

All-Time vs. Chicago: 11-2Regular Season: 9-2Postseason: 2-02011 vs. Chicago: 11-2Regular Season: 9-2Postseason: 2-0Record at Waubonsee Community CollegeRegular Season: 4-2Postseason: 1-0Record at HomeRegular Season (Wayne King, Jr. Field): 5-0Postseason (Wayne King, Jr. Field): 0-0Record at Oil City Stadium (2011 playoffs): 1-0First MeetingJune 3, 2011 at Waubonsee Community CollegeFinal score: CrackerJacks 12, Chicago 6Last MeetingJuly 27, 2011 at Waubonsee Community CollegeFinal score: CrackerJacks 10, Chicago 2


DUPAGEHOUNDSLocation: Lisle, Ill.Founded: 2011Colors: Sky Blue, GoldHome Ballpark: Benedictine University

Mailing Address5400 College Road, Lisle, IL 60523Phone(815) [email protected]

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2012StadiumBenedictine University Sports ComplexStadium Address5400 College Road, Lisle, IL 60523

Co-General ManagerJoe StefaniCo-General ManagerJosh VanSwolDirector of SponsorshipDonald OrtaleDirector of TicketsRob NewburgPublic Relations CoordinatorAdam CavazosRadio BroadcastersScott Swartz & Tom ElapumkalGame Day Operations CoordinatorMurphy DornPublic Address AnnouncerBill Dorn

ManagerSean OsborneAssistant CoachBen CapleAssistant CoachBrian Riegler

At a Glance: CrackerJacks vs. DuPage

Travel Time from Brennan Field to LisleVia IL-53 N: 24 minutes (14.20 miles)Via I-355 N: 26 minutes (16.05 miles)

CrackerJacks vs. DuPage in 2012Matchups: 8Games at Brennan Field: 4 (June 15, 30; July 20, 27)Games at Benedictine University: 4 (June 2, 8, 10, 24)

All-Time vs. DuPage: 0-0Regular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-02011 vs. DuPage: N/ARegular Season: N/APostseason: N/ARecord at Benedictine UniversityRegular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-0Record at HomeRegular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-0First MeetingThe 2012 season will mark the first meeting between the Will County CrackerJacks and the DuPage Hounds.


NORTHWEST INDIANAOILMENLocation: Whiting, Ind.Founded: 2012Colors: Gold, Black, BlueHome Ballpark: Oil City Stadium

Mailing AddressP.O. Box 172, Flossmoor, IL 60422Phone(312) [email protected]

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2012StadiumOil City StadiumStadium Address1700 119 St., Whiting, IN 46394

OwnerDon PopravakOwnerRon KittleGeneral ManagerJim TaipalusCorporate Sales DirectorMargaret K. Taylor

ManagerJustin HuismanAssistant CoachWally Widelski

At a Glance: CrackerJacks vs. Northwest Indiana

Travel Time from Brennan Field to WhitingVia I-80 E: 1 hour, 2 minutes (43.34 miles)Via I-55 N: 1 hour, 5 minutes (46.33 miles)Via I-57 N: 1 hour, 7 minutes (39.50 miles)

CrackerJacks vs. Northwest Indiana in 2012Matchups: 6Games at Brennan Field: 2 (July 17, 28)Games at Oil City Stadium: 4 (June 6, 14, 27; July 26)

All-Time vs. Northwest Indiana: 0-0Regular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-02011 vs. Northwest Indiana: N/ARegular Season: N/APostseason: N/ARecord at Oil City StadiumRegular Season: 1-0Postseason: 1-0Record at HomeRegular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-0First MeetingThe 2012 season will mark the first meeting between the Will County CrackerJacks and the Northwest Indiana Oilmen.


DEKALB COUNTYLINERSLocation: Sycamore, Ill.Founded: 2010Colors: Red, White, BlueHome Ballpark: Founders Field

Mailing AddressP.O. Box 1172, Sycamore, IL 60172Phone(815) [email protected]

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2012StadiumFounders FieldStadium AddressRt. 64 and Airport Road, Sycamore, IL 60178

OwnerKim WiseGeneral ManagerJosh PethoudGeneral Operations CoordinatorMichele Walsh

ManagerMike Siwiec

At a Glance: CrackerJacks vs. DeKalb

Travel Time from Brennan Field to SycamoreVia I-355 N to I-88 W: 1 hour, 15 minutes (62.25 miles)Via US-30 to I-88 W: 1 hour, 15 minutes (58.03 miles)Via IL-47 N: 1 hour, 20 minutes (57.47 miles)

CrackerJacks vs. DeKalb in 2012Matchups: 6Games at Brennan Field: 2 (July 3, 16)Games at Founders Field: 4 (June 3, 9, 11, 26)

All-Time vs. DeKalb: 0-0Regular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-02011 vs. DeKalb: N/ARegular Season: N/APostseason: N/ARecord at Founders FieldRegular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-0Record at HomeRegular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-0First MeetingThe 2012 season will mark the first meeting between the Will County CrackerJacks and the DeKalb County Liners.


ILLINOISLINCOLNSLocation: Joliet, Ill.Founded: 2012Colors: Maroon, Black, Grey, WhiteHome Ballpark: Wayne King, Jr. Field

Mailing AddressP.O. Box 732, Plainfield, IL 60544Phone(815) 704-2255Websitewww.illinoislincolns.comEmailinfo@illinoislincolns.com

LeagueMidwest Collegiate LeagueFirst Year in MCL2012StadiumWayne King, Jr. FieldStadium Address1215 Houbolt Road, Joliet, IL 60431

OwnerEloot Sports & EntertainmentGeneral ManagerJamie Toole

ManagerMichael StalterAssistant CoachJason Egli

At a Glance: CrackerJacks vs. Illinois

Travel Time from Brennan Field to JolietVia N Larkin Avenue: 19 minutes (11.53 miles)Via Broadway Street: 20 minutes (11.47 miles)

CrackerJacks vs. Illinois in 2012Matchups: 6Games at Brennan Field: 4 (June 19; July 4, 19, 22)Games at Wayne King, Jr. Field: 2 (June 28; July 9)

All-Time vs. Illinois: 0-0Regular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-02011 vs. Illinois: N/ARegular Season: N/APostseason: N/ARecord at Wayne King, Jr. FieldRegular Season: 12-5Postseason: 2-0Record at HomeRegular Season: 0-0Postseason: 0-0First MeetingThe 2012 season will mark the first meeting between the Will County CrackerJacks and the Illinois Lincolns.


By Josh GleasonAsst. Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

The 2011 season brought much success to the Will County Cracker-Jacks. In its first season of existence, the club won Midwest Collegiate League (MCL) Championship and was named the 2011 MCL Organization of the Year. Despite all of its success last year, the CrackerJacks have put a roster in place to try to build another incredible season, which is just part of the reason they are and continue to strive to be the class organization of the MCL. One of the biggest additions for the CrackerJacks this season came in the front office, when they added Bobby Dernier as the Associate Head Coach and Director of Baseball Operations. Dernier, a former major league player and coach, should prove to be a huge asset to the CrackerJacks organization. The MCL has doubled in size since 2011 and the CrackerJacks’ quest for a repeat championship will be more tedious in 2012. With the additions of the Illinois Lincolns, Northwest Indiana Oilmen, DeKalb County Liners and Dupage County Hounds, the league is now at eight teams and will be split into two divisions, North and South. The CrackerJacks will be playing in the South Division along with the Lincolns, Oilmen, and the Southland Vikings, who went 16-17 in MCL regular season play last year. The CrackerJacks will open its season on the road against the Vikings on Friday, June 1. The CrackerJacks will have a new home this season as well, playing at Brennan Field on the campus of Lewis University. Roster Breakdown

Pitchers (10) The CrackerJacks bolster a deep pitch-ing staff this season with players from all over the nation. Jack Rogalla from Binghamton University is the lone soph-omore and will have a veteran presence on the pitching staff. Rogalla is also one

of the few who have made multiple col-legiate starts, along with Matt Borens of Eastern Illinois, Kyle Dowdy of Hawaii, Carter Smith of Tennessee-Martin and Adam Spracklin of the University of North Carolina-Asheville. One of the more exciting prospects on the team is one who did not pitch at all in 2012, Michael Oczypok. A product of the Uni-versity of Alabama, Oczypok redshirted the 2012 season but was a very good prospect out of Pennsylvania and fin-ished his senior season 14-0 with a 1.09 ERA. The rest of the CrackerJacks staff consists of Mike Grindstaff of Northern Illinois, Ben Gullo of Eastern Kentucky, Kyle Pomeroy of Long Island University-Brooklyn and UT-Martin product Dalton Potts. Infielders (8) The infielders on this year’s team are a group of versatile young baseball players. It should also help that a couple players come from the same colleges as well, including Landon Lucansky and Case Munson from Missouri and Hayden Martin and Jacob O’Brien from Oral Roberts. George Washington’s Derek Brown has the ability to play any position on the field, playing in 54 games this past season for the Colo-nels and also making two appearances as a pitcher. Daniel Nevares, a native of Puerto Rico, maybe be the most talented overall infielder of the bunch, as his .341 batting average and .964 fielding percentage makes for an excel-lent combination. The rest of the group is rounded out by Michael Vilardo, a former standout hockey player who red-shirted at the University of Pennsylvania this past season and Patrick Jameson, a product of the University of Southern California. Outfielders (7) The CrackerJacks outfield may be the most experienced group of players on the team. One of those players is Scott Hull of Oklahoma State who already has experience playing in the MCL, help-

ing the CrackerJacks win the title last season. The CrackerJacks also have two players who started over 40 games in 2012, including Mitch Elliott of Xavier and Jake Thomas of Bowling Green State University. These two may also be the best fielding outfielders among the group. The three biggest position play-ers who might bring the most power to the CrackerJacks lineup are included in the outfielders. Alex Arovits of Eastern Kentucky, Sam Hammer of UW Milwau-kee and Southern Illinois’ John Menken all stand 6’2” or taller and can send the ball packing. Sean McGraw of Bingham-ton rounds out the collection, another player who brings double digit starts to the team.

Catchers (3) Going three-deep at the catcher posi-tion this season, the CrackerJacks have three players who are quite different from one another. West Point product Andrew Johnson is the most experi-enced and is a fundamentally sound player who made zero errors this past season and hit 0.302. Jesse Brown of Long Island University-Brooklyn made 23 starts as a freshman in 2012 and possesses good power. Paul DeJong is the wild card of the bunch, as he redshirted this past season at Illinois State. DeJong received great reviews during the fall of 2010 during prospect camps where he shined as an infielder and while at the plate. Looking Ahead The CrackerJacks will be on the road for its first 10 games of the season but play 16 of its 21 July games at home. The North and South Division winners and top-two wild card teams (next-best winning percentages) make the playoffs. Vern Hasty, the 2011 MCL Manager of the Year, will return for his second season as the CrackerJacks’ skipper after leading the club to a 29-14 overall record during the 2011 championship season.

2012 SEASON PREVIEW


RADIO COVERAGE

The Will County CrackerJacks will partner with Us-tream, the leading online live interactive broadcast platform that allows you to hear live play-by-play from anywhere in the world through a computer, for the second consecutive year in 2012. Each CrackerJacks ballgame on Ustream can be heard live over the internet on the CrackerJacks Radio Network and audio archives will be made available immediately fol-lowing the conclusion of every 2012 CrackerJacks game. Mike Garabedian, the CrackerJacks Director of Broad-casting and Media Relations, returns to the CrackerJacks for his second year in 2012 to serve as the play-by-play voice of Will County Baseball. Josh Gleason, the CrackerJacks Assistant Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations has joined the 2012 broadcast team as well to handle pre-game interviews with players and coaches and play-by-play duties for one inning during each CrackerJacks 2012 game. Garabedian joined the CrackerJacks in January 2011 and broadcast the entire 2011 CrackerJacks championship season

en route to being named the 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Broadcaster of the Year. A native of La Grange, Ill., Garabedian will graduate from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, in May 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. On April 5, he announced that, beginning in August 2012, he will serve as one of two Assistant Sports Information Directors at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. At Denison, Garabedian was a four-year member and three-year starter on the Big Red’s varsity basketball team and is currently an assistant in the Sports Information De-partment. In 2012, Garabedian helped lead Denison to the North Coast Athletic Confer-ence championship game for the first time in school history. Garabedian graduated from Nazareth Academy High School in La Grange Park, Ill., in 2008, where he earned two varsity letters in basketball and was a two-time All-Area selection in 2007 and 2008. In addition, he was named to the All-East Suburban Catholic Conference team in 2008.

Garabedian has been the play-by-play voice of Denison football, baseball and softball since 2009 and has also broad-cast women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse and volleyball games during his tenure in Granville. Notable games called by Garabedian include the entire 2011 Midwest Collegiate League Championship Series, the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Baseball Tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio, and the 2009 and 2011 NCAC Women’s Basketball Tournaments in Granville, Ohio. “The thing that makes online broadcasts so perfect for the CrackerJacks is that there are so many out-of-state kids on the roster who have parents and relatives who want to tune into the games,” Garabedian said. “Obviously, it’s going to be tough for them to make it out to Romeoville everyday so the fact that we offer this to them and to our fans for free is outstanding.

Mike Garabedian


RADIO COVERAGE

“We had a great response to our online broadcasts last year from our fans and I am really looking forward to calling the games again in 2012.” With a new and improved 4G Verizon Network to power all internet broadcasts, the CrackerJacks expect the listener experience to be even better during the 2012 summer. “We definitely went through some growing pains during our first season [in 2011],” Garabedian said. “We had some trouble staying on the air with our old service provide but I don’t expect that to be an issue at all this summer.” Josh Gleason joined the CrackerJacks front office in April 2012. A native of Auburn, N.Y., Gleason attended Cayuga Community College before transferring to Western Illinois University in August 2011. Gleason is majoring in Broadcasting with a minor in Journalism and will be graduating in December 2012. The 22-year old Gleason has worked as the radio producer for the Western Illinois Leathernecks football broadcasts, the sideline reporter for the school’s men’s basketball radio broadcasts and as a field reporter for the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational. Gleason has also been the host or mem-ber of multiple sports talk shows as well. A 2007 graduate of Auburn High School, Gleason played football, ice hockey and tennis in high school. His football team won the 2006 Class AA State Championship. Gleason was also awarded with the ‘Captain’s Award’ as a member of the men’s tennis team as a senior. Founded in 2007, Ustream allows anyone with an internet connection to engage with their family, friends or fans any-time, anywhere. Millions of Ustream users view and broadcast a wide variety of content, from high school sporting events to red carpet movie premieres. Notable Ustream broadcasts include major political events, concerts, conferences, movie premieres, talk shows, sporting events, interactive games, and personal milestones. Ustream’s mission is to bring people together around shared interests for amazing live, interactive experiences that build and maintain relationships. In addition to broadcasting games over the CrackerJacks Radio Network, the franchise has recently installed the 2012 Will County CrackerJacks Baseball Blog, which can be located at www.crackerjacksbaseballblog.com. Garabedian and Gleason will post on the blog frequently throughout the 2012 season. In addition, player biographical information can be found at the new blog.

Josh Gleason

CrackerJacks on the Web

Live audio broadcasts: www.ustream.tv/channel/will-county-crackerjacksFacebook: www.facebook.com/crackerjacksbaseballTwitter: www.twitter.com/willctybaseballYouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CrackerJacksRadio/videosWebsite: www.crackerjacksbaseball.comBlog: www.crackerjacksbaseballblog.com


CRACKERJACKS VS. UNITED STATES MILITARY ALL-STARS

Wade Boggs. Professional athletes and entertainers such as Doug Flutie and “Larry the Cable Guy” have joined proud Americans all across the coun-try in wearing the unique camouflage uniforms of the United States Military All-Stars in the most patriotic tour in America. The bright yellow ribbon in the shape of an “S” on the uniform stands for “Support for our Troops.” “This is a great opportunity for the team and the community,” said Cracker-Jacks President and General Manager Jamie Toole. “I really think this is one of the highlights of our 2012 season schedule.” Tickets for the game will be made available through www.crackerjacks-baseball.com or by calling the Cracker-Jacks at (815) 704-2255. In addition, fans can contact the CrackerJacks by emailing [email protected]. Each ticket (all tickets are general admission) will be priced at $9.11. Part of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Wounded Warrior Fund.

Courtesy of YorkBlog.com

On June 29, 2012, the Will County CrackerJacks will play host to the Unit-ed States Military All-Stars at 7 p.m. in a marquee exhibition matchup at Brennan Field. The game will follow an 11 a.m. game between the CrackerJacks and Southland Vikings at Brennan Field the same day. This is the second exhibition game in franchise history for the Cracker-Jacks. In 2011, the club traveled to Rosemont, Ill., to play the Chicago Bandits, Chicago’s professional softball team. Playing by professional softball rules in last year’s exhibition game with the Bandits, the CrackerJacks went down on strikes 17 times during the ballgame. However, they trailed just 3-2 heading into the fifth inning. The Bandits would tack on three more runs, though, and win 6-2. “When you look at the season schedule as a whole, obviously the team and fans will be excited for the chance to renew the MCL rivalries but you can’t overlook this game at all,” said CrackerJacks play-by-play broadcaster Mike Garabedian. “It may say ‘exhibi-tion game’ on the schedule, but the meaning of the game will be a lot more than just an exhibition game.” Over the last two decades, the United States Military All-Stars have put together ballclubs for its historic “Red, White and Blue Tour,” which tours around the nation and has made appearances globally as well. Armed

Forces and First Responders partici-pate while off-duty to support the brave men and women that serve the United States over-seas. The majority of these participants have been deployed in direct support of the Global War on Terrorism. The “Red, White and Blue Tour” is recognized as the most popular summer exhibition in the world, providing patri-otic atmosphere, exciting entertainment and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to fans. The United States Military All-Stars is the only barnstorming team in the world featuring players from all branches of the Armed Forces and First Responders competing in both baseball and softball. Established in Pensacola, Fla., at the request of President H.W. Bush, the United States Military All-Stars have earned the reputation as the “Globe-trotters of Baseball,” performing in 45 states and 12 countries. Since 1990, over 25,000 men and women serving on Active Duty, Re-serve, Guard, ROTC, Service Academy, Delayed Entry Program, Wounded Warriors, Amputees, Veterans and First Responders have dressed for the “Red, White and Blue Tour” alongside Major League Baseball alumni such as Jeff Kent, Bob Feller, Tommy John and


BBell, Chris 2011Biagini, Domenic 2011Buonamici, Anthony 2011

CCahill, Kyle 2011Clancy, Steve 2011Collesano, Benny 2011

DDenney, Dominic 2011

EEhlmann, Lendon 2011Emmole, Nick 2011

GGazarek, Rick 2011Gustafson, Matt 2011

HHankamer, Colt 2011Hull, Scott 2011

JJordan, Michael 2011

KKause, Josh 2011Kedroski, Steve 2011

LLaudadio, Tom 2011Lehmann, Spencer 2011Les, Pete 2011

MMcDowell, Brooks 2011

NNicks, Mike 2011Noble, Chris 2011

PPruneau, Matt 2011

SSain, Drew 2011Szczerba, Conor 2011

TTaylor, Steve 2011Thomas, Derek 2011Thomas, Kyle 2011Truitt, Brandon 2011

WWestre, Justin 2011Windt, Ryan 2011

ZZhorne, Mark 2011

ALL-TIME ROSTER

2012 Media Guide

Documents

Transcript of 2012 Media Guide