Joliet Catholic Academy alum. Ryan Quigley knows the Frontier League well. He'll bring that experience to the Slammers for the 2011 season. The 25-year old right handed pitcher has played for the Southern Illinois Miners and the Windy City Thunderbolts during his professional career. "I've played for manager Bart Zeller and Coach (Ron) Biga before so when I found out they were going to be working for the Slammers in my home town, it was the perfect fit," Quigley said. "I'm excited for the chance to be a veteran mentor for some of the younger guys on this team." During his time at Joliet Catholic, Quigley starred on the gridiron as well as the diamond. He led them to the state championship as their quarterback and that team was recently inducted into the IHSA Hall of Fame. Quigley played his college ball at St. Xavier University on the south side of Chicago before debuting with the Miners in 2007. Tommy John Surgery ended his 2008 season prematurely and prevented Quigley from playing at all in 2009. But he came back with a vengeance last season for the Thunderbolts as he struck-out 77 batters in 62 2/3 innings. "We anticipate that Ryan will help us out in the bullpen," Slammers VP of Baseball Operations Ron Biga said. "He's another local kid who should be a strong leader for this team." The Slammers begin play in their inaugural season on Thursday, May 19th, 2011 against the Washington Wild Things. For tickets, please call (815)722-BATS (2287). The Joliet Slammers are members of the Frontier League of Professional Baseball. The Frontier League is the oldest continuously operating independent professional league, in its 19th season in 2011. For more information about the Frontier League visit www.frontierleague.com.
