Make Your Plans Now: ThunderBolts 2025 Schedule Is Here

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Make Your Plans Now: ThunderBolts 2025 Schedule Is Here

October 28, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Windy City ThunderBolts News Release


The ThunderBolts will start the year on the road for the first time in seven years as the Frontier League released their 2025 schedule. While that road start lasts just one quick game, next summer's slate includes unusually long periods both at and away from Ozinga Field. The 96-game schedule will open up in Schaumburg on Thursday, May 8th against the Boomers followed by the home opener at Ozinga Field the next night on Friday, May 9th against the Washington Wild Things.

New next summer are the Down East Bird Dawgs and Mississippi Mud Monsters joining the Frontier League in 2025 as expansion teams playing out of Kinston, North Carolina and Pearl, Mississippi respectively. The addition of the two clubs grows the league's lineup to 18 teams and necessitates a major change to the league's division set-up. Two conferences and four unbalanced divisions will set the stage for an exciting summer. The ThunderBolts will be in the Western Conference's five team West Division playing each opponent 12 times (6 home / 6 road) for a total of 48 games. Those divisional foes include the Gateway Grizzlies, Joliet Slammers, Schaumburg Boomers and expansion Mississippi. The ThunderBolts will play the other divison in the Western Conference (Central) 9 times for 36 games. The remaining 12 games will be against four teams from the Eastern Conference (6 home / 6 road), welcoming the Sussex County Miners and three-time defending champion Quebec Capitales to Ozinga Field in 2025. The road trip out East will be against the New Jersey Jackals and New England Knockouts, marking the first time the Bolts don't cross the border since 2022.

Also changing in 2025 is the playoff format as the two new clubs allow for the league to add two more spots for a total of eight. Each conference's two division winners will qualify as well as the next two conference teams with the best record as wild card teams regardless of division. The Division Series will be a best of three while both the Conference Championship Series and Frontier League Championship Series will be best of five. The full conference/division set-up is below...

As usual, the month of May is very home heavy with 11 of the first 13 games played in Crestwood. July of 2025 is cut almost down the middle with both a very long road trip and homestand all in one month. The first half of July will tie a club record (2017) with 13 straight road games making stops in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Mississippi before finishing in Joliet after the all-star break. The 3,156 mile trip will set club record for distance traveled. Immediately following this trip will be an 11 game homestand that will take up the second half of the month. The July 19-31 stay at Ozinga Field will be the longest homestand since the Bolts played 15 straight in 2013.

Standard gametimes for the 2025 season will not change as we keep the 6:35 pm starts Tuesday through Friday, 6:05 pm Saturday and 1:05 pm on Sundays. Also not changing is the nine 10:35 am morning weekday games between School & Splash Days. A noteable quirk is the scheduled day/night split doubleheader vs. Quebec on Friday, May 16th. The Bolts and Capitales will play a 10:35 am School Day and 6:35 pm fireworks night all on one date!

The ThunderBolts are pleased to announce that our famous postgame fireworks will return each Friday and Saturday night next summer! The rest of our weekly promotional schedule, giveaways and special theme nights will be announced at a later time.

Group pricing will be announced in a few weeks and reservations for our Executive Suites, all-you-can-eat Picnics, and our popular #WinCity Party Patio will go on-sale Monday, December 2nd. Individual game tickets go on-sale Friday, April 11th at 10 am. We look forward to seeing you at Ozinga Field in 2024!

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The Windy City ThunderBolts, part of the MLB Partner League Frontier League, are proud to provide fun, affordable family fun to the Chicago Southland for over 25 years. Our beautiful home, Ozinga Field, is located at 14011 South Kenton Avenue in Crestwood. For more information, please call 708-489-2255 or visit our website at wcthunderbolts.com. Be sure to follow us all off-season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instrgram!

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