First-Place ThunderBolts Eye Bigger Prize After Frontier League All-Star Nods

By Zach Browning and Lily Kocourek

Following the Windy City ThunderBolts’ series finale against the Lake Erie Crushers on July 5, manager Tom Carcione had one more announcement to make before the team boarded the bus home.

As players filtered through the visiting clubhouse after the game, Carcione called everyone together. 

Rookie pitcher AJ Campbell thought the team was about to get an earful after missing out on the chance to finish off a road sweep of the Crushers. Instead, Carcione began reading names.

Applause filled the clubhouse as Campbell, third baseman Jared Beebe, catcher Victor Cerny and outfielder Michael Sandle were announced as Frontier League all-stars. A few days later, Carlos Pena joined them as a late addition to the roster.

These five ThunderBolts will head to Florence, Kentucky, for this year’s Frontier League All-Star Game.

Each player’s path to the All-Star Game has looked different. Campbell and Beebe envisioned the moment months before it happened. Sandle and Cerny understand how much different the honor feels on a contender than on clubs out of the playoff race. Pena experienced the.highs and lows of becoming a late addition while battling an injury.

Together, their stories tell a much larger one.

A year ago, Windy City sent just one player to the All-Star Game while entering the break 18 games under .500. This season, the ThunderBolts head into the break atop the Midwest West Division with aspirations that extend well beyond a midsummer exhibition. 

The difference isn’t just in the number of players making the trip. Despite taking different paths to Florence, they all have the same goal: helping the ThunderBolts push for the playoffs.

 

A prediction months in the making

Long before either rookie earned nods as a Frontier League all-star, Beebe and Campbell had already talked about it.

The two New Jersey natives and former Barton College teammates caravaned to the South Side of Chicago ahead of spring training, making a stop in South Bend, Indiana, along the way. After touring the University of Notre Dame’s campus, the pair grabbed a bite to eat at a local pub and began mapping out their summer.

They talked about spending off days at Wrigley Field or making the drive to Milwaukee to catch a Brewers game. When Campbell began brainstorming ideas for July’s all-star break, Beebe quickly interrupted him.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Well, I’m planning on both of us being there, wherever that All-Star Game is this year. That’s what I’m planning on,’” Campbell recalled. “Fast forward and now we’re both going.”

Beebe believed it then, but he hasn’t spent the season chasing this honor..

“It was always a big goal that I set,” Beebe said. “But honestly, I didn’t really think about it throughout the season. I was just trying to play to win and do my part.” 

Beebe’s transition to professional baseball wasn’t seamless. Early in the season, he admitted he put too much pressure on himself.

“I was struggling a little bit the first couple games of the season,” Beebe noted . “Just being late and putting too much pressure on myself.” 

During the ThunderBolts’ first trip to Lake Erie in May, everything finally came together.

“I just kind of had a realization to see the ball and hit the ball,” Beebe said. “Everything clicked.” 

Beebe credits hitting coach Brian White for helping him.

“He’s done a really awesome job with me,” Beebe explained. “He’s helped me keep things simple with my approach to the game.” 

 

A different feeling this time around

Michael Sandle and Victor Cerny already know what all-star week feels like, and what it’s like to return from it on teams out of playoff contention.

Last season, Sandle represented the ThunderBolts as the club’s lone All-Star while Windy City entered the break 18 games under .500. Cerny experienced something similar with the Ottawa Titans, earning a late All-Star selection as  Ottawa entered the break 15.5 games behind first-place Québec in the East Division.

This season is different. Instead of returning to teams searching for answers, Sandle and Cerny will head back from Florence to a ThunderBolts club leading the Midwest West Division.

“It absolutely feels different [than last year’s all-star nod],” Sandle said. “It’s a nice break. The guys who get to go obviously have a great experience… then we come back and make a postseason push.”

For Sandle, the biggest difference isn’t his second consecutive all-star selection. It’s sharing the experience with four of his teammates.

“I was more excited about hearing the other guys on our team make it,” he said.

Both veterans see the ThunderBolts’ five all-star selections as a reflection of the team’s success rather than individual accomplishments.

Even with five representatives, neither believes the ThunderBolts’ roster was fully recognized.

“We could have easily had more than [five],” Cerny commented . “Any one of us could have been selected for the All-Star Game.” 

For two players who have experienced All-Star Games on losing teams, that’s what makes this year’s trip to Florence different. 

When the festivities end, the focus shifts right back to a postseason push..

 

A roller coaster for Pena

Pena’s path to all-star week has been anything but straightforward.

Unlike the ThunderBolts’ first four all-stars, Pena didn't hear his name announced alongside his teammates in the clubhouse following Sunday’s game in Lake Erie. 

At first, he admits, it stung.

“I feel like it’s always disappointing when you don’t hear your name called because I feel like I’m having a good year,” Pena explained . “But when you see everyone else that got selected, you can’t be mad. They put up great numbers, and you have to tip your cap.”

A few days later, Carcione called Pena into his office.

“He just calls me into the office and was like, ‘Hey, congratulations,’” Pena stated.

“It was a relief,” he continued. “I was very happy to hear that, and it felt really good to tell my pops and my family.”

The excitement, however, has been tempered by injury. Pena will miss the on-field activities in Florence, though he will still make the trip and enjoy the experience with his teammates. 

“It sucks, but God has a plan for everything,” Pena remarked. “But just being around the guys and being there, there’s going to be a lot of people, so it’s just going to be fun. I’m just trying to have fun and just take everything in.”

 

“The job isn’t finished”

For Beebe, Campbell, Cerny, Sandle and Pena, the trip to Florence is an opportunity to celebrate strong first halves. 

By the end of the week, all five will return to Crestwood with the same objective.

“Don’t get me wrong, [being named an All-Star] is a very cool accomplishment,” Campbell noted. “But it’s not the end goal, We’re still leading the division. The job is not finished.”

"It isn't like this is the pinnacle by any means. Our plans are focused on continuing to play deep into September."  

For this ThunderBolts team, the All-Star Game isn’t the finish line. It’s a brief checkpoint before the second half begins.