The Illinois Sluggers began in 1991 and was originally referred to as the Schaumburg Sluggers as a branch of the SAA Rec Softball organization.  In the early 1990s, the teams were winning ASA Metros and competing at Nationals. In 1993, the Sluggers became an official travel team, quickly gaining recognition and evolving from local to national competition.

In 1995, the Sluggers hosted the NSA State Tournament, growing it from 98 to 248 teams in three years. The highlight was hosting exhibition games with the 1996 USA Olympic Team at Olympic Park.

On December 4, 2010, the Sluggers received the highest honor from the National Softball Association’s State Board: admittance into the NSA Hall of Fame. At that time, the program was the only travel club inducted into the Hall of Fame for fastpitch softball. Additionally, Coach Frank Hill was the first travel softball coach to be inducted, having received the honor in 2007.

Over the years, the Illinois Sluggers have consistently competed in national tournaments, securing runner-up National Champion titles in 2003 and 2010, and achieving numerous top 10 finishes at Nationals throughout our over 30-year history. In 2022, under Coach Dan Long's leadership, the Sluggers won the National Championship, marking a historic milestone for the program.