Crestwood, Ill. - Right-hander TJ Santiago ('17) has signed a contract with the the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League, as he looks to pursue further opportunities in professional baseball. 

The Linden, N.J. native, who led all of NCAA Division II with a strikeout to walk ratio of 11.57 this season but was not selected in the recently-concluded MLB Draft, said: "I am grateful for the opportunity that the ThunderBolts and the Frontier League have provided me as I look to chase my dreams."

Santiago graduated tied for the Adelphi program record in career strikeouts, and earned a host of postseason honors. The NE10 Pitcher of the Year, Santiago was also named the East Region Pitcher of the Year by the Division II Conference Commissioners' Association (D2CCA) and the National College Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA), which later garnered him Third Team and Honorable Mention All-America status, respectively. The ECAC Pitcher of the Year as well, Santiago earned First Team All-Region status by the American Baseball Coaches' Association and Rawlings.

Added Head Coach Dom Scala:  "I am very happy that TJ is getting to continue his great college career to become a professional. He worked extremely hard for four years and is now getting rewarded."

The ThunderBolts won back-to-back Frontier League Championships in 2007 and 2008, and also won a Heartland League title in 1998. The team plays its home games in Crestwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, at Standard Bank Stadium.The teams in the Frontier League are not affiliated Major League Baseball or its clubs, however, any MLB club can sign Frontier League players and put them into their own minor league systems.

All 30 MLB teams have signed Frontier League players, and the Diamondbacks, Reds, Marlins, Padres and White Sox currently have former ThunderBolts' players or coaches in their organizations. In total, 23 players who have reached the major leagues after playing in the Frontier League, and the ThunderBolts have seen over 50 player contracts sold to MLB teams, a league-best.

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About Adelphi Athletics:
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past eight seasons, has collected 23 regular season conference titles, 25 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.

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