Jul 25, 2025 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

Most baseball players who spend four years in the Frontier League are thankful for the independent circuit, which has been around since 1993.

The Frontier League has given those players an opportunity to extend their careers at the professional level.

Former Wild Things outfielder Chris Carter is even more thankful for what the Frontier League has done for him. In addition to giving him a chance to put together four stellar seasons of baseball, it enabled Carter to meet his wife, Courtney, and play in the ballpark that his father-in-law, Leo Trich, made possible when he took a huge chance that minor league baseball would thrive in Washington.

And Friday night at EQT Park, the league honored Carter for his four seasons as a player by inducting him into the Frontier League Hall of Fame during a ceremony prior to the Wild Things’ game against Florence.

“When we were talking to former coaches and people in the league about Chris, what they all said is what a tremendous positive influence he was on his teammates and the Washington community,” Frontier League commissioner Steve Tahsler said.

Carter also had a tremendous impact on his teams. He had a .318 career batting average in the Frontier League and played key roles as an outfielder on Washington’s division championship clubs in 2005 and 2006.

Carter had an outstanding collegiate career at Coastal Carolina University and began his professional baseball career in the Frontier League with the Kalamazoo Kings in 2002. He won the league’s batting title in 2003 when he hit .364 with 16 doubles, six triples and five home runs before having his contract purchased by the Baltimore Orioles late in the summer.

When Carter was released by the Baltimore Orioles organization prior to the 2005 season, the outfielder knew he wanted to continue playing professional baseball.

He had many independent teams calling him but Carter knew where he wanted to play, and that was in Washington. While he was still in the Orioles system, Carter’s former Coastal Carolina teammate, catcher Randy McGarvey, called him looking for advice. McGarvey had been released by the Houston Astros and he wanted to know what team he should try to sign with in the Frontier League.

“I told Randy that Washington was packed all the time and they won all the time,” Carter recalled.

McGarvey signed with the Wild Things and played two years in Washington. When Carter was released by the Orioles, he knew where he wanted to play – in the Frontier League and in Washington.

“To me, the Frontier League was always a good, strong, competitive league,” Carter said. “What I remember most about playing in Washington is the crowds. They always had big-time crowds here, and it was the same way in Kalamazoo.”

Carter spent two years in Washington as a player and helped the Wild Things win 122 games and make two trips to the postseason. He was a postseason all-star in 2006 when he batted .314 with eight home runs for a Washington team managed by John Massarelli.

“Chris was a five-tool player,” Massarelli told Frontierleague.com. “He could hit, hit for power, run, play all three outfield positions and (he) had a strong arm. His best attribute, however, was his ability to lead in the clubhouse and be the ultimate teammate. (He is) one of my favorite players in my coaching career.”

After he retired as a player, Carter became an assistant coach with the Wild Things and then returned to Coastal Carolina where he was the director of baseball operations when the Chanticleers won the College World Series in 2016. He is currently Coastal Carolina’s Director of Athletic Apparel & Business Services.

“I work with every team at Coastal, except football, which has its own deal, and get everything they need, from equipment to uniforms to apparel. That’s 18 teams. It keeps me busy,” Carter said.

Coastal Carolina in the College World Series finals again this year.

Joining Carter in the 2025 Hall of Fame class are former Windy City first baseman Phil Hawke, River City pitchers Jason Lowey and Josh Lowey, Chillicothe infielder Mike Cervenak, London Werewolves pitcher Rick Nadeau and broadcaster Robert Ford, who called games for the Kalamazoo Kings for two seasons and is currently the play-by-play broadcaster for the Houston Astros.

Extra bases

Prior to the induction ceremony, Trich was given an award by the Frontier League for his efforts in bringing a team to Washington in 2002. … The Y’alls debuted new red jerseys Friday that have “Caintuckee” in white lettering on the front.