The ThunderBolts have announced that Morgan Burkhart will be back in the dugout for the 2013 Frontier League season. He signed a two-year extension that will keep him in Crestwood through the end of 2014. Burkhart was hired as field manager prior to the 2012 campaign.
Under Burkhart, the 2012 Windy City ThunderBolts underwent a six-game improvement from 2011, going 54-42. They finished two games out of a playoff spot.
2013 will be his seventh year of coaching and fifth year of managing overall. In three years with the Calgary Vipers, he qualified for the Golden League postseason twice and the North American Baseball League playoffs once. He was at the helm for the Vipers when they won the 2009 Golden League championship.
He wrapped up a 12-year playing career in 2006, a career that included four seasons in the Frontier League – and three MVP awards – and parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Red Sox and Royals. After retiring, he immediately got into coaching, joining the staff of the Vipers as hitting coach in 2007.
Burkhart concludes the 2012 season with a career managerial record of 209-137.
This season, his ThunderBolts finished with the fifth best record in the league. Their .257 batting average ranked eighth as did their 4.6 runs per game. Their 75 team home runs were seven more than the combined total from 2010 and 2011.
Windy City’s pitching staff ranked sixth in the Frontier League in ERA at 3.74 and set a league-record with 838 strikeouts.
