SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — With the 2024 Frontier League season in the final days, the award winners for 2024 were announced on Saturday afternoon and the Schaumburg Boomers picked up three honors.
On the field, Alec Craig was selected as the postseason All-Star at second base for the first time in his career. During his fourth season with the Boomers Craig has once again established himself as one of the toughest outs in the league. The New Jersey native leads the league with a franchise record 93 walks, eclipsing his mark of 92 set in 2022. Craig will have led the league in walks three times in his four years with the only other year finishing second (2023). Craig is second all-time in league history in walks with 345 entering the final two contests of the year. Craig is also the league leader in on-base percentage at .469, which as of today is the highest single season total in team history.
Craig reached base in 41 consecutive games to open the 2024 campaign and has been aboard in 19 straight currently. The lefty has reached base in 80 games this season and carries an average of .290 with two homers and 43 RBIs while also logging 19 doubles, two triples and 21 stolen bases. The fifth-year pro has also been a staple of the defense in the middle infield, forming one of the top middles in the league, while also carrying a leadership role in the clubhouse. Craig was voted as the starter in the mid-season All-Star Game, making his first appearance in the event.
Samantha (Sammy) Fluck was recognized as the league’s Athletic Trainer of the Year. Fluck has been working with the team for four seasons and is the longest tenured athletic trainer in team history. Fluck has been instrumental in helping the success of the Boomers on the field with injury management as well as strength and conditioning exercises in a year that has featured a lot of games missed due to injury.
“We are very proud to have Alec and Sammy representing the Boomers with these awards,” manager Jamie Bennett said. “Alec has been a table setter for our offense and has continued to improve as a player the last few years. What he does for this club on the field and in the clubhouse has been very special. Sammy has done an amazing job with our guys over the last several seasons. This year has been maybe the most challenging with injuries and she has gone above and beyond and been a vital part of this team and keeping our guys on the field.”
For the third consecutive season Wintrust Field was named as the Stadium of the Year. Director of Facilities Mike Tlusty, the first ever employee hired by the organization, has continually put forth maximum effort to keep the facility pristine and game ready. Despite multiple storms during games this year, the Boomers never had to cancel one of their 49 home dates. The team again set franchise records for total and average attendance and became just the second team in league history to draw over 200,000 fans in three consecutive seasons. The 2024 attendance total of 231,322 is the second highest in league history. During the season the franchise also welcomed their 2,000,000th fan overall.
The Boomers (51-43) are still a half game up in the playoff race with two contests remaining entering tonight’s game in Pennsylvania against the Washington Wild Things.