Last week, I was back in the Chicago/NW Indiana area for work (ABF Freight). And was once again on the hunt for cool baseball experiences in the area, time and weather permitting. I mentioned my passion for baseball and local baseball treasures to a co-worker and he suggested I check out a ballpark in nearby Crestwood, Illinois. The ballpark, Ozinga Field, was just about 20 miles from my hotel, so it checked that box. It was a sunny day on Monday, check. I had a few hours to get there and be back for work, check and check. So, I took the short 20 mile ride to Crestwood, Illinois to check out Ozinga Field, home of the Windy City Thunderbolts.

The Windy City Thunderbolts play in the Midwest Division of the Frontier League, a professional independent baseball league. I arrived at Ozinga in relatively good time, parked in the mostly empty parking lot, looked up to see a gate open, smiled, and headed up the concrete stairs to the main ticket gate area. As I have stated on numerous occasions, I have no expectation of a ballpark being open when I travel to it on a non-game day. But, when it is open for me to explore, I get a soulful charge and feel a rush of energy. No hopping fences or picking locks for me now or in the future, so when the gate is open, it is game time for my baseball experiences.

After checking out the poster/sign of Ozinga Field, featuring its dimensions and seating chart, I entered the open gate in the left field area and began my Ozinga Field experience. I spotted a man walking towards me, I introduced myself, told him why I was there, and he said it was “cool” for me to walk around and take photos. I thanked him and hustled around the park to take in some of the amazing fan views. As I stated earlier, it was a beautiful sunny Illinois summer day with puffy clouds, low humidity, and just a slight breeze. Absolutely mint for a game, too bad the Thunderbolts were on the road on Monday. Here is my traditional behind home plate, ultimate fan spot photo of Ozinga.

And a few more along the way to the corners of the ballpark…

In the right field seating area, there was a raised deck with some choice seating for the Thunderbolts fans to catch the game. Atop this deck were a series of retired numbers, including the #45. #45 is retired for former coach and local baseball hero Bobby Jenks, who lost his battle with cancer recently. Jenks was an integral part of the Thunderbolts organization and the team honored his passing with his number atop the rooftops and on the field. RIP Bobby Jenks, a MLB pitcher for several teams, including my Boston Red Sox and more notably the Chicago White Sox 2005 World Series champs.

As I was heading back towards the front gate area, the man whom I spoke with earlier introduced himself. His name was Johnny Sole and he is the PR/Marketing Director for the Windy City Thunderbolts. We chatted about Jenks, the field, the Thunderbolts team, my interests in baseball fields, and his upcoming marriage. Great guy, so psyched to have run into him and had a few minutes of his day to chat Thunderbolts baseball.

Johnny did mention that the gates were open for a vendor who was finished with their work. Politely pointing out that he would like to head out as soon as I was finished with my Ozinga experience. I got the hint and shook his hand, wished him and his fiancé well, and headed through the open gates. As I was walking down the concrete steps to the parking lot, I noticed a really cool mural on the wall facing the ballpark. Here is a small section of it.

I figured, since the front gate was now locked, I would take a quick peek around the back side of the parking lot area to see if there was anything cool to spot. There was another painted mural on the ramp leading up to a kids zone, just passed where the left field foul pole was located. Someone or some team put a ton of effort into the mural and I stood for a moment to check out its uniqueness and artistry.

After a very satisfying trip around Ozinga Field, a great chat with PR guru Johnny Sole, and a quick visit out to the view the multi-colored murals on the walls outside the park, I headed back to my rental car. Ozinga Field has a ton of great fan views from all over the park, including a few deck areas for elevated viewings. There are some wonderful tributes and reminders of the late, great Bobby Jenks, a former coach for the hometown Windy City Thunderbolts. The park was clean and easy to navigate through and such a joy to experience. Overall, it was such a fantastic Crestwood baseball experience inside and outside of Ozinga Field, home of the Frontier League’s Windy City Thunderbolts.