SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — With the first game in franchise history on Friday night, the Schaumburg Boomers have established the 24-man roster to open the season, in accordance with Frontier League rules.

The 24-man roster will feature 12 pitchers and 12 position players. Eleven players hold rookie status in the Frontier League, nine of which are true rookies with no professional experience. 13 players are experienced, holding two or more years of professional baseball time. The players come from 17 different states as well as the District of Columbia.

The outfield features four players, two of which are true rookies. The newest addition is veteran right-handed hitter Jereme Milons. Milons was an All-Star starter in Southern Illinois in 2010 and has been a member of two Frontier League playoff teams. The Starkville, Mississippi native holds the Southern Illinois career record for stolen bases and finished 2011 as a member of the Lake Erie Crushers, the team Schaumburg faces in Friday’s season opener.

Also in the outfield are a pair of Frontier League Draft picks. Sean Mahley, a true rookie from the University of the Cumberlands, was selected in the second round while Chad Mozingo, who spent two seasons in the Nationals system, was a third round selection. Nate Baumann rounds out the outfield as a rookie out of Augustana (S.D.) College.

Six infielders will open the season on Manager Jamie Bennett’s roster, three of which are true rookies. Among them is a talented left side featuring Frank Pfister, a four-year member of the Cincinnati Reds organization, who owns time at Triple-A. Switch-hitting shortstop Gerard Hall was an All-Star in the Midwest League last season. The other experienced infielder is Nick Kuroczko, who has played several positions over the last two years as a member of the Frontier League’s Windy City ThunderBolts, led by current Boomer Bench Coach Mike Kashirsky. The rookies are Atlanta, Ga. native Andrew Cohn out of Emory University, Brandon Hairston, from Norfolk State University, and Drew Heithoff, a college teammate of Baumann at Augustana (S.D.) College.

Mike Valadez opens the season as the starting catcher. Valadez spent the last two seasons as a member of Pat and Lindy Salvi’s other team, the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association. Bennett coached Valadez with the RailCats in 2010. Rookie Ty Nelson will also see time behind the plate. Nelson hasn’t played since 2010 at the University of Tennessee-Martin.

The pitching staff will open with five starters and seven relievers. Right-hander Robby Donovan will receive the opening night start at Lake Erie on Friday. Donovan allowed just one run in two spring training starts and owns three years of experience in the Houston Astros organization. Joining Donovan in the rotation will be a pair of left-handers in Cameron Roth and Andy Weeks. Robbie Penny and Tyler Watkins will be righties opening in the rotation. Watkins is the lone true rookie on the starting staff.

Appearing out of the bullpen this season will be right-handers Jason Braun, Patrick Mincey, Joe Parsons, Alex Thieroff, and Dave Whigham. Left-hander Jose Rodriguez also made the team out of the Frontier League Draft. Rodriguez was the fourth overall selection. Lefty Thomas Nelson also pitched briefly for the RailCats last season and rounds out the staff.

The first regular season game in franchise history will take place on Friday night in Ohio against the Lake Erie Crushers at 6:05 p.m. Donovan will face 2009 Frontier League Pitcher of the Year LHP Paul Fagan for Lake Erie in the first of a three-game set. The home opener will take place on May 25 at 6:30 p.m. against the Florence Freedom.

Season Tickets, Group Outings and single-game tickets for the Inaugural Season of Schaumburg Boomers Baseball are on sale now by calling the 847.461.3695, by visiting www.boomersbaseball.com or by stopping by Schaumburg Boomers Stadium located at 1999 S. Springinsguth Road in Schaumburg.