The Windy City ThunderBolts had four players selected to play for the East Division squad in this year’s Frontier League All-Star Game. Larry Balkwill, Scott Kuzminsky, Brian Loconsole and Kyle Wood will all be making their first career appearances in the Frontier League All-Star Game.
Balkwill, the lone player who was voted in as a starter, is in his third year with the ThunderBolts. He has played in 42 games and has already set career highs in hits (38), home runs (7), runs (19) and RBIs (28). He is batting .268 and leads the team with a .500 slugging percentage.
Kuzminsky has appeared in 22 games, tied for third most in the league, and his 0.40 ERA is best among Frontier Leaguers with three or more innings pitched. The first-year ThunderBolts reliever has a 2-0 record with one save and 29 strikeouts to only seven walks in 22.2 innings pitched.
Loconsole is in his second season with the Bolts and became the full-time closer at the start of the season. His 17 saves are six more than anyone else in the league and only nine shy of the Franchise record for a season. He is 1-0 with a 1.21 ERA and has 26 strikeouts to four walks in 22.1 innings.
Wood is in his second season out of Purdue University and has been the most consistent ThunderBolts on-base getter, leading the team with a .423 OBP. He has four home runs and 18 RBIs for the year and a .276 batting average. He also leads the league, having been hit by 11 pitches.
Balkwill will be the East Division’s starting catcher, Wood will be a backup first baseman and both Kuzminsky and Loconsole are expected to be used out of the bullpen when the All-Star Game takes place at Joliet’s Silver Cross Field on Wednesday, July 13 at 7:05.
