Normal CornBelters

On March 30, 2009, ground was broken for a $12 million multi-purpose stadium adjacent to Heartland Community College on Raab Road. The CornBelters will share the facility with Heartland's baseball, softball, and soccer programs. The facility was completed in time for the CornBelters' inaugural 2010 season.Nielsen, Adam. "[http://adamnielsen.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/celebrating-a-major-milestone-at-heartland/ Celebrating a major milestone at Heartland]", Just About Normal (blog by local reporter), March 31, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009.

On October 20, 2009, it was announced that the stadium would be known as The Corn Crib.Reinhardt, Randy. "[http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/frontier-league/cornbelters/article_1918e890-bd94-11de-906e-001cc4c002e0.html Baseball stadium gets a name: The Corn Crib]", The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), October 20, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009. The name was the result of a naming rights partnership with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB). The naming rights agreement lasts for two years with an "automatic renewal". Both team and ICMB officials declined to disclose the financial terms of the partnership.

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The CornBelters were named after a fan vote to determine the name. A publicity stunt occurred after the four finalists were unveiled:

• Normal Nutz; an homage to the Beer Nuts brand based in nearby Bloomington (NOTE: The entries were originally "Nuts", but the ownership modified it to avoid conflict with the California League's Modesto Nuts)
• Normal NightHawks; a popular alliterative nickname.
• Normal CornBelters; a reference to Illinois' location in the Corn Belt. "Belt" is also a slang term meaning to hit the ball hard.
• Normal Coal Bears; submitted by fans of political satirist and The Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert (pronounced [kʰɔlˈbɛɹ], just like "coal bear"). In addition to the reference, Illinois (especially the west side of Bloomington-Normal) also has a strong heritage in coal mining.

In addition, two other choices were later added:

• Normal Fellers; an homage to Jesse W. Fell, the founder of Illinois State University (ergo, the founder of the city of Normal), as well as the term "Feller" referring to "regular guy".
• Normal CamelBacks; an homage to Camelback Bridge, built to allow steam locomotives to pass underneath and currently arching over Constitution Trail. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Hal Lanier was announced as the team's first manager on October 7, 2009. Lanier managed the Houston Astros to a division title in 1986 and is a former Major League player and coach as well. Over 21 seasons as a major, minor and independent league manager, Lanier has compiled a record of 1,338–1,033.Reinhardt, Randy. "[http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/frontier-league/cornbelters/article_2d31ac80-b359-11de-87b9-001cc4c002e0.html CornBelters tab former Cardinals coach as first manager]", The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), October 7, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009.

The Normal CornBelters' inaugural season schedule was released on October 16, 2009.Pawlowski, Stephanie. "[http://www.wjbc.com/TabId/7865/default.aspx?AID=10073 Normal CornBelters release schedule]", WJBC, October 16, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009. The CornBelters' season opened at the Evansville Otters on May 21, 2010. The home opener, the first in team history, was played at 7 p.m. on June 1, 2010, against the Windy City ThunderBolts. The team had 51 home games in 2010 and their season ended on September 5, 2010.Reinhardt, Randy. "[http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/frontier-league/cornbelters/article_b71379b2-baaf-11de-9cb2-001cc4c002e0.html CornBelters' first home game June 1]", The Pantagraph, October 16, 2009, accessed October 31, 2009. The team finished with a 44–52 record. Two CornBelters were named 2010 All-Stars and played in the All-Star Game: RHP Tyler Lavigne and 3B Daniel Cox.

{{IndyLB roster

| TeamName = Normal CornBelters

| BC1 = #005f30

| FC1 = #FCC200

| BC2 = #FFD300

| FC2 = #005f30

| Date = March 15, 2024

| Pitchers =

{{MLBplayer|--|Tyler Altenbaumer}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Jimmy Amptmann}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Brady Banker}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Logan Barnett}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Austin Berggren}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Trey Bryant}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Graham Kasey}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Shane Kilfoyle}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Cole Martz}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Alex McHale}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Zach O'Donnell}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Malachi Paplanus}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Nick Rainey}}

{{MLBplayer|--|PJ Rogan}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Mason Telford}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Ryne Willard}}

| Catchers =

{{MLBplayer|--|Chase Mason}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Nolan McCrossin}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Tyler Woltman}}

| Infielders =

{{MLBplayer|--|James Harris}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Max Hennemann}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Landen Johnson}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Eddie Letamendi}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Alex Mezzetti}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Zach Zychowski}}

| Outfielders =

{{MLBplayer|--|Griffin Brown}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Will Jesske}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Tyler Thompson}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Austin Wiegand}}

| manager =

{{MLBplayer|--|Billy DuBois}}

| Coaches=

{{MLBplayer|--|Josh Foreman}} {{small|(hitting/third base)}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Randy Wittenberg}} {{small|(bench)}}

{{MLBplayer|--|Nick Roseman}} {{small|(bullpen)}}

}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://cornbeltersbaseball.com/ Normal CornBelters]

{{Prospect League}}

{{Illinois Sports}}

Category:2009 establishments in Illinois

Category:Former Frontier League teams

Category:Professional baseball teams in Illinois

Category:Sports clubs and teams in Bloomington–Normal

Category:Baseball teams established in 2009

Category:Defunct Frontier League teams

Category:Defunct independent baseball league teams

Category:Normal, Illinois