Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow will step onto the diamond at Slammers Stadium Sunday afternoon, tossing the ceremonial first pitch before the Chicago Snowballs take on the Rocket Squirrels in a special promotional game built around a Hometown Heroes theme. The 1 p.m. first pitch, scheduled for Slammers Stadium at 1 Mayor Art Schultz Drive in Joliet, kicks off an afternoon meant to spotlight local first responders and law enforcement.
The matchup itself is part of a bigger experiment in what its organizers call sportstainment. As reported by Shaw Local, the Chicago Snowballs were founded in 2025, according to Glasgow’s office, and the team blends live baseball with music, comedy and constant audience participation rather than a standard nine-inning affair. The Snowballs are billed, per Glasgow’s office, as professional baseball’s first-ever co-ed sportstainment experience, and Sunday’s game against their traveling rivals, the Rocket Squirrels, continues that format at a Frontier League ballpark more accustomed to hosting the hometown Joliet Slammers.
A Team Built Like the Bananas, Not the Cubs
The concept traces back to Chicago attorney and DePaul Law adjunct professor Cherie Travis, who co-founded the Snowballs alongside her brother Paul Travis in 2025, drawing direct inspiration from the Savannah Bananas and the Harlem Globetrotters, according to The Record North Shore. To lead the on-field product, the team hired Mike Napoleon, the all-time winningest high school baseball coach in Illinois history, who retired from New Trier High School in 2024, the outlet reports.
The roster reflects the team’s unconventional pitch to fans. The Snowballs held open tryouts in January at The Dome at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, where candidates were evaluated not just on baseball skill but on gymnastics, music and comedy ability, according to Stadium Journey. That process produced a co-ed roster spanning ages 19 to 47 for both the Snowballs and the Rocket Squirrels heading into their inaugural 40-game season this year, per CBS Chicago. The team also operates on an equal-pay structure across the roster regardless of gender, supplementing base compensation with salary and profit-sharing arrangements, according to a release from the Clinton LumberKings.
Honoring First Responders at a Ballpark Built for Spectacle
Sunday’s Hometown Heroes event will celebrate law enforcement and first responders, and organizers describe it as a chance for fans to enjoy baseball while recognizing people who serve, protect and strengthen their communities, according to Glasgow’s office. The special promotional game is meant to honor community members who work to make Will County and the surrounding region a better place, the office says, bringing fans together for an afternoon of baseball entertainment and fun…