SCHAUMBURG, Ill.  — The two-time defending Frontier League Champion Schaumburg Boomers, presented by Wintrust Community Banks, have officially set the roster for opening night.

The Boomers will field an active roster of 22 for the season opener on Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. on the road against the Windy City ThunderBolts. The roster will feature 10 returning players from the 2014 championship team along with an 11th who will begin the season on injured reserve. The active roster features players from 17 states along with Hideyoshi Otake, who hails from Kuki, Japan.

 Highlighting the returning players is Seth Webster, who has been slotted to start the opener. Webster was the starting pitcher in all three playoff series clinchers last year. Schaumburg owns a 5-0 record in playoff games started by the Louisiana native, who also started both playoff clinching contests in 2013. Webster, entering a third year with the team, is the franchise’s career leader in starts, innings, complete games, wins, and strikeouts. The 25-year old finished last year with a 7-5 record in 19 starts spanning 118 innings, sporting an ERA of 3.35.

Following Webster in the rotation will be Eddie Cody, another returner. Cody started 12 games last season and posted a record of 8-1 with a 2.86 ERA. Edwin Carl occupies the third slot in the rotation. Carl was a member of the Boomers for two appearances in 2013 before being signed by the Dodgers. Anthony Gomez started a pair of games in 11 appearances last year and joins the rotation for a first full season. Rookie Brett Mabry rounds out the starting staff. Mabry exceled in the California Winter League and is one of five players from the league on the opening night roster.

Closer Dexter Price returns to the back end of the bullpen for a third season. Price is the team’s career leader in saves, appearances, and games finished. Clark Labitan also returns for a third year in the bullpen.

Michael Valadez is the only member of the Boomers to have been with the club from the first season in 2012. Valadez, a two-time All-Star, enters his ninth season as a professional after throwing out 37 percent of base stealers behind the plate last year. Four additional position players were with the team last year along with Cam Sherrer, who will begin the year on injured reserve. Jordan Dean is back for a third season and ranks in the top 10 of several franchise record categories. Alexi Colon and Justin Vasquez return to the outfield. Both players have been parts of the championship teams in 2013 and 2014. Mark Nelson finished a stellar first season with a team record .323 average last year, fifth in the league.

A pair of local products are among the newcomers to the roster. Ryan Tuntland resides in Des Plaines, Ill. and spent two years at Oakton Community College. Scott Plaza hails from Arlington Heights, Ill. and is in the bullpen after winning a national title at UW-Whitewater last year. All but four of the newcomers boast previous professional experience.

The Boomers open the home schedule on Friday, May 22 against the Lake Erie Crushers. The evening begins with a ring ceremony to honor the 2014 team and ends with the first of 21 firework nights. Ensure your place in the fun by calling (847) 461-3695 (FOWL). All games can again be heard on AM 1410 WRMN with the voice of the Boomers, Tim Calderwood. Broadcasts begin with a 15-minute online only highlight show followed by a 15-minute pregame radio show.

More Info: The 2013 & 2014 Frontier League Champions and 2013 Organization of the Year, the Schaumburg Boomers are an independent professional baseball franchise based in Schaumburg, Ill. The Boomers have captured the back-to-back titles for the Village of Schaumburg and for team owners’ Chicago Personal Injury Attorney Patrick A Salvi and his wife, Lindy Salvi. The Boomers specialize in providing fun, affordable family entertainment and will be hosting the 2015 Frontier League All-Star Game on July 15th. For more information, visit www.boomersbaseball.com.