In a pregame ceremony at Ozinga Field, former ThunderBolt Phil Hawke will be inducted to the Frontier League Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 20.
Hawke was a two-year member of the ThunderBolts (2007-2008) and was part of both Windy City teams that won Frontier League championships. In 189 games with the Bolts, Hawke was a .300 hitter with 32 home runs and 151 RBIs. He left Windy City as the franchise's all-time leader in home runs and slugging percentage.
In 2008, Hawke became the first member of the ThunderBolts ever to win the Morgan Burkhart award, honoring the Frontier League’s MVP. In that championship season, he hit .309, homered 22 times and drove in 73 runs. He led the league in RBIs (78) in 2007 and walks (81) in 2008.
Hawke’s post-ThunderBolt career included three seasons with the American Association’s Lincoln Saltdogs, where he climbed to third on that franchise’s all-time home run list with 44.
Hawke is going to be honored along with Mike Cervenak, who played two years with the Chillicothe Paints before making his ascent to the big leagues. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 20, prior to the ThunderBolts’ 1:05 game against the Joliet Slammers.
