Frontier League
Frontier League | |
---|---|
Founded | 1993 |
No. of teams | 16 |
Country | ![]() ![]() |
Current champions | Capitales de Québec |
Official website | www.frontierleague.com |
The Frontier League is an independent minor league which began play in 1993. It is the oldest independent league still in operation. Currently, the league has 14 clubs.
After the 2019 season, the River City Rascals shut down, leaving the Frontier League at 9 teams. The Can-Am League was at 5 teams due to the Ottawa Champions having problems, so the two leagues merged for the 2020 season. After losing the 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic, the re-vamped league carried on under the Frontier League name starting in 2021. Due to the travel restrictions during the pandemic, the two Canadian teams that joined the league as a result of the merger only began play in 2022, being joined by new Ottawa club that same year.
Current Teams[edit]
League Champions[edit]
Notable League Alumni[edit]
- Morgan Burkhart
- Brendan Donnelly
- Matt Duff
- Josh Kinney
- Terry Pearson
- George Sherrill
- Jason Simontacchi
- Joe Thatcher
- Brian Tollberg
- J.J. Trujillo
Cities Represented[edit]
Illinois[edit]
- Crestwood, IL:
- Cook County Cheetahs (1999-2003); moved from Heartland League
- Windy City ThunderBolts (2004-present)
- Joliet, IL:
- Joliet Slammers (2011-Present)
- Marion, IL:
- Southern Illinois Miners (2007-2021)
- Normal, IL
- Normal CornBelters (2010-2018); moved from Rockford, IL
- Rockford, IL:
- Rockford RiverHawks (2002-2009); moved from Springfield, IL; moved to Normal, IL
- Rockford RiverHawks (2011-2012); moved from Kalamazoo, MI; renamed Rockford Aviators
- Rockford Aviators (2013-2015); previously known as Rockford RiverHawks
- Sauget, IL:
- Gateway Grizzlies (2001-present)
- Schaumburg, IL:
- Schaumburg Boomers (2012-present)
- Springfield, IL:
- Springfield Capitals (1996-2001); moved from Portsmouth, OH; moved to Rockford, IL
Indiana[edit]
- Evansville, IN:
- Evansville Otters (1995-present); moved from Lancaster, OH
- Huntingburg, IN:
- Dubois County Dragons (1999-2002); moved from Parkersburg, WV; moved to Kenosha, WI
- Richmond, IN:
- Richmond Roosters (1995-2005); moved to Traverse City, MI
Kentucky[edit]
- Ashland, KY:
- Tri-State Tomahawks (1993); folded after two weeks
- Florence, KY:
- Florence Freedom (2003-2019); moved from Johnstown, PA
- Florence Y'alls (2020-present)
- Pikeville, KY and Paintsville, KY:
- Kentucky Rifles (1993-1994)
Michigan[edit]
- Kalamazoo, MI:
- Kalamazoo Kodiaks (1996-1998) moved from Newark, OH; moved to London, ON
- Kalamazoo Kings (2001-2010) moved to Rockford, IL
- Traverse City, MI:
- Traverse City Beach Bums (2006-2018); moved from Richmond, IN
- Waterford, MI:
- Oakland County Cruisers (2010); moved from Ypsilanti, MI
- Ypsilanti, MI:
- Midwest Sliders (2009); previously a road team; moved to Waterford, MI
Missouri[edit]
- Columbia, MO:
- Mid-Missouri Mavericks (2003-2005); moved from Canton, OH; suspended operations after 2005 season
- O'Fallon, MO:
- River City Rascals (1999-2019); moved from Zanesville, OH
- Ozark, MO:
- Springfield/Ozark Ducks (2004); moved from Kenosha, WI; moved to Ohio Valley Redcoats
New Jersey[edit]
- Augusta, NJ:
- Sussex County Miners (2020-present); moved from Can-Am Association
- Montclair, NJ:
- New Jersey Jackals (2020-2022); moved from Can-Am Association; Moved to Paterson, NJ
- Paterson, NJ
- New Jersey Jackals (2023- ); moved from Montclair, NJ
New York[edit]
- New City, NY:
- New York Boulders (2020-present); moved from Can-Am Association
- Troy, NY
- Tri-City ValleyCats (2021-present)
Ohio[edit]
- Avon, OH:
- Lake Erie Crushers (2009-present)
- Canton, OH:
- Canton Crocodiles (1997-2001); moved to Washington, PA
- Canton Coyotes (2002); moved from London, ON; moved to Columbia, MO
- Chillicothe, OH:
- Chillicothe Paints (1993-2008)
- Lancaster, OH:
- Lancaster Scouts (1993-1994); moved to Evansville, IN
- Lorain, OH:
- Ohio Valley Redcoats (2005)
- Newark, OH:
- Newark Buffalos (1994)
- Newark Bisons (1995); moved to Kalamazoo, MI
- Portsmouth, OH:
- Portsmouth Explorers (1993-1995); moved to Springfield, IL
- Zanesville, OH:
- Zanesville Greys (1993-1996); moved to O'Fallon, MO
Ontario[edit]
- London, ON:
- London Werewolves (1999-2001); moved from Kalamazoo, MI; moved to Canton, OH
- London Rippers (2012)
- Ottawa, ON
- Ottawa Titans (2022-present)
Pennsylvania[edit]
- Erie, PA:
- Erie Sailors (1994); moved to Johnstown, PA
- Johnstown, PA:
- Johnstown Steal (1995-1997); moved from Erie, PA
- Johnstown Johnnies (1998-2002); moved to Florence, KY
- Slippery Rock, PA:
- Slippery Rock Sliders (2007); became a road team
- Washington, PA:
- Washington Wild Things (2002-present); moved from Canton, OH
Québec[edit]
- Québec, QC:
- Quebec Capitales (2022-present); moved from Can-Am Association
- Trois-Rivières, QC:
- Trois-Rivières Aigles (2022-present); moved from Can-Am Association
West Virginia[edit]
- Parkersburg, WV:
- Ohio Valley Redcoats (1993-1998); moved to Huntingburg, IN
- Wayne, WV:
- West Virginia Coal Sox (1993); folded after two weeks
Wisconsin[edit]
- Kenosha, WI:
- Kenosha Mammoths (2003); moved from Huntingburg, IN; moved to Ozark, MO
Road Teams[edit]
- Ohio Valley Redcoats (2005; played home games in Lorain, OH, Marietta, OH and Lafayette, IN); moved from Ozark, MO; suspended operations after 2005 season
- Midwest Sliders (2008); Moved from Slippery Rock, PA; Moved to Ypsilanti, MI
- Frontier Greys (2014-2015)
- Équipe Québec (2021)
- Empire State Greys (2022-present)
Further Reading[edit]
- Mike Shannon: Everything Happens in Chillicothe: A Summer in the Frontier League with Max McLeary, the One-Eyed Umpire, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2004.
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