Meet The Slammers Team
JOSH PHILLIPS
D.O.B:
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
Height: 6’4
Weight: 225
Position: Outfielder
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Chapman University
Jared Zimbardo
D.O.B: 6/20/2001
Hometown: Flemington, NJ
Height: 5’11
Weight: 185
Position: Outfielder
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: University of Notre Dame
BILLY Sullivan
D.O.B: 8/12/2001
Hometown: Nyack, NY
Height: 5’10
Weight: 195
Position: Catcher
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Trenton Thunder
AUSTIN BAUGH
D.O.B: 5/3/2001
Hometown: Avon, IN
Height: 6’1
Weight: 205
Position: Pitcher
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Kentucky Wesleyan College
AARON FORREST
D.O.B: 7/15/1999
Hometown:
Height: 6’2
Weight: 225
Position: Pitcher
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Washington Wild Things
ROBERT CHAYKA
D.O.B: 3/13/1999
Hometown:
Height: 5’10
Weight: 195
Position: Outfielder
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Ottawa Titans
ARMANI SMITH
D.O.B: 7/19/1998
Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA
Height: 6’2
Weight: 215
Position: Infielder/Outfielder
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Florence Y’alls
JACKSON VALERA
D.O.B: 4/8/1992
Hometown:
Height: 6’1
Weight: 175
Position: Utility
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Gary SouthShore RailCats
AUSTIN ADAIR
D.O.B:
Hometown: Pflugerville, TX
Height: 6’1
Weight: 160
Position: Pitcher
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Southern Arkansas University
D.J. BUTLER
D.O.B: 2/1/2002
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Height: 5’10
Weight: 175
Position: Infielder
Status:
Batting/Throwing: S/R
Previous Club: Bloomfield Beavers
BEN VITAS
D.O.B: 01/15/2002
Hometown: Shorewood, IL
Height: 5’11
Weight: 190
Position: Pitcher
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Central Michigan University
NICK COSENTINO
D.O.B: 08/21/2001
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Height: 6’3
Weight: 220
Position: Pitcher
Status:
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Virginia Commonwealth University
#8 Ty Rybarczyk
D.O.B: 2/11/2000
Hometown: Spring Valley, IL
Height: 5’10
Weight: 210
Position: Pitcher
Status: Pro-1
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#10 AIDAN McEVOY
D.O.B: 3/7/2001
Hometown: Downingtown, PA
Height: 6’4
Weight: 205
Position: Pitcher
Status: Pro-2
Batting/Throwing: R/L
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#14 Brailyn Marine
D.O.B: 9/19/2000
Hometown: Freeport, NY
Height: 6’2
Weight: 205
Position: Infielder
Status: Pro-2
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#15 BRANDON HEIDAL
D.O.B: 9/7/2001
Hometown: Anaheim, CA
Height: 5’11
Weight: 200
Position: Catcher
Status: Pro-2
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#16 C.J. BLOWERS
D.O.B: 9/21/1996
Hometown: Graham, WA
Height: 6’6
Weight: 235
Position: Pitcher
Status: Pro-2
Batting/Throwing: L/L
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#18 IAN BATTIPAGLIA
D.O.B: 4/2/2001
Hometown: Cheshire, CT
Height: 6’3
Weight: 215
Position: Infielder
Status: Pro-1
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#23 RYAN DALY
D.O.B: 7/3/2002
Hometown: Plainfield, IL
Height: 6’5
Weight: 230
Position: Pitcher
Status: Pro-1
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#24 GREYSON LINDERMAN
D.O.B: 10/15/2000
Hometown: Flintstone, GA
Height: 6’3
Weight: 195
Position: Pitcher
Status: Pro-1
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#28 Liam McArthur
D.O.B: 7/4/1996
Hometown: Basking Ridge, NJ
Height: 5’8
Weight: 170
Position: Outfielder
Status: EXP-1
Batting/Throwing: L/L
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#29 GUNNAR KINES
D.O.B: 7/25/1993
Hometown: Myrtle Beach, SC
Height: 6’4
Weight: 230
Position: Pitcher
Status: VET
Batting/Throwing: L/L
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#34 Blake Berry
D.O.B: 6/20/1998
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Height: 6′
Weight: 205
Position: Outfielder
Status: EXP-2
Batting/Throwing: L/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
#36 ANDREW GUARDINO
D.O.B: 12/12/2000
Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA
Height: 6’4
Weight: 185
Position: Pitcher
Status: Pro-1
Batting/Throwing: R/R
Previous Club: Joliet Slammers
Manager Mike Pinto
Position: Field Manager/Director of Baseball Operations
Bio: Mike is in his 19th season as a professional baseball manager and his third season leading the Slammers. He is the Frontier League’s all-time leader in managerial wins and the first manager in league history to surpass the 800-win milestone. On 5/29/25, Mike celebrated his 900th managerial win, marking a historic achievement in independent baseball.
Throughout his distinguished career, more than 60 of his players have gone on to sign with Major League organizations, with five advancing all the way to the Major Leagues. Pinto is widely respected for his leadership, player development skills, and his lasting impact on the
Frontier League.
During the offseason, Pinto lives in San Antonio with his wife Lynne. He has two sons, Michael (IV) and Stephen and has two grandchildren, Michael (V) and Audrianna. He is also the drummer in San Antonio Transit, an award-winning Chicago tribute band. He grew up in the Chicagoland area and was a longtime resident of Plainfield, IL.
Coach Ron Biga
Position: Bench Coach
Bio: A member of the Joliet Slammers’ original coaching staff, Ron is in his third season as Mike Pinto’s bench coach. Biga previously served as the team’s Vice President of Baseball Operations from 2011 to 2012, playing a key role in the Slammers’ Frontier League Championship in their inaugural season.
Biga is the longest-tenured and winningest manager in Windy City ThunderBolts history, amassing 260 wins between 2013 and his retirement in 2018. He returned to professional baseball in 2021 as an advance scout and instructor on Mike Pinto’s final staff with the Southern Illinois Miners.
A Chicago-area native, Biga has a long-standing professional relationship with Pinto. Together, they coached the Southern Illinois Miners from 2008 to 2010, achieving a 178-110 record, winning a division championship in 2010, and making two playoff appearances. He brings 14 years of professional experience.
Before turning pro, Biga spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Triton College, where he also played collegiately alongside St. Xavier University after graduating from St. Rita High School, where he was a high school All-American.
Coach Tyler Martin
Position: Pitching Coach
Bio: Tyler returns to the Slammers for his third season as pitching coach. He previously served as the pitching coach for the Southern Illinois Miners from 2018 to 2019 under manager Mike Pinto, helping the team to two winning seasons and a 101-90 overall record. During that time, pitcher Chase Cunningham was named a Postseason All-Star and won the Brian Tollberg Award as Frontier League Pitcher of the Year in 2019 under Martin’s guidance.
A Fremont, Illinois native, Martin has also served as associate head coach and pitching coach at Roosevelt University in Chicago since 2015. His coaching career began at his alma mater, Cardinal Stritch University, from 2013 to 2015, where he helped three pitchers earn all-conference honors and guided the team to its first-ever conference tournament appearance.
He played collegiate baseball at Kankakee Community College and Cardinal Stritch University, where he earned a master’s degree in sports and fitness administration and management. Martin has also worked as an instructor at Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports.
Coach LUIS Reyes
Position: Hitting Coach
Bio: Luis Reyes joins the Joliet Slammers after spending the last four seasons as a hitting coach in the Minnesota Twins organization.
During his time with the Twins, Reyes worked with four first-round draft picks and helped develop four players who reached the Major Leagues. In 2023, he helped lead the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels to a franchise-record 103 home runs while the club led the Florida State League in slugging percentage (.388). In 2024, his hitters ranked second in the league in slugging percentage (.363).
A native of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, Reyes moved to the United States in 2009 to play college baseball at Iowa Lakes Community College. After two seasons with the Lakers, he played at Clarke University (Dubuque, Iowa) from 2012–13, anchoring the left side of the infield. As a senior in 2013, Reyes hit .313 with a team-high 21 walks in 46 games and earned the conference Gold Glove Award at third base.
Reyes has also gained international professional experience. In 2023, he served as assistant hitting coach and first base coach for the Caribes de Anzoátegui in the Venezuelan Winter League in his hometown of Puerto La Cruz. In 2024, he worked as a hitting analyst for Team Venezuela at the Premier12 tournament held in Mexico and Japan.
Before turning to pro ball, Reyes coached 8 years in college baseball. Including stops at Clarke University, Murray State College, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and Texas A&M International University.
Coach Eric Minshall
Position: Special Assistant for Baseball Operations