The moment we have been waiting for since the final out of the 2023 season was recorded in the playoffs on September 5 has arrived, the players have reported to begin the 2024 campaign.

Last year, the Boomers reached the playoffs for a third consecutive season for the first time in franchise history and the team is aiming to extend that to four this summer with another championship caliber team arriving to camp. The roster to open camp will feature 31 players vying for a maximum 24 spots on the opening day roster.

The roster to open the spring features 15 players who were part of last year’s team at some point during the 54-win season along with several impact newcomers.

Four-time All-Star Chase Dawson returns for his fifth season with the team, becoming just the third position player to appear on the roster in five seasons. Dawson has been one of the most exciting players in the league during his tenure with the Boomers and holds nearly every franchise career record. The infielder has batted over .300 in each of the last three seasons and set the single season record for runs and hits last year.

Joining Dawson on the infield is Alec Craig, who is the team’s all-time leader in stolen bases and walks. Craig will enter his fourth season with the Boomers and has been one of the peskiest hitters in the league, tallying an OBP of over .400 in all three seasons.

Also returning on the infield are Kyle Fitzgerald, Travis Holt and Will Prater who made immediate impact as rookies on last year’s team. Fitzgerald led the team in homers after being selected at the Frontier League Draft and became just the second player in team history to belt a pair of grand slams in a single season. Prater hit .312 in 65 games with 14 steals while Holt appeared in 67 games, batting .246. All three rookies were utilized at multiple positions.

Seth Gray comes to the Boomers after appearing in 10 MLB Spring Training games with the Twins. The former fourth-round pick reached Triple-A with Minnesota after appearing in 379 games over four seasons with Minnesota. Gray slugged .398 last year while reaching base at a .365 clip.
Tyler Depreta-Johnson and Christian Fedko join the Boomers after playing for Joliet. Depreta-Johnson has been a one-man highlight reel defensively at short in three years with Joliet and reached Triple-A with the Rangers in 2019. Fedko hit .273 in his first year as a pro for Joliet, playing all over the field in 62 appearances.

Blake Berry and Brett Milazzo both return in the outfield. Milazzo begins his fourth year with the team coming off a career year in centerfield that saw career highs in at bats, runs, hits, homers, steals, average, OBP and SLG. Milazzo ranks third all-time in franchise history in stolen bases. Berry will join the team for his second full season and third year overall after being initially acquired at the All-Star break in 2022. The California native set career highs last year in average, RBIs, OBP and doubles.

Newcomers in the outfield include Ryan McCarthy and Aaron Simmons. Simmons is a left-handed hitter with two years of pro experience in the Pioneer League and the American Association, playing 43 games for Lake Country last year. McCarthy, also a left-handed hitter, batted .372 in the Pioneer League last year before signing with the White Sox and playing 42 games in the Carolina League with Kannapolis.

John Fiorenza is back for his second season behind the plate after becoming one of the best defensive catchers in the league last year. Fiorenza played in 37 games for the Boomers last year in his first season as a pro. Alex Rodriguez spent two years with the Twins and will join Fiorenza as a backstop. The Boomers added two catchers at the Frontier League Draft, selecting Allante Hall in the first round and Felix Aberouette in the third round. Hall spent time with the Twins while Aberouette is a fourth year pro who spent time in three different leagues.

A newcomer highlights the pitching staff as the Boomers were able to acquire the 2023 Frontier League Pitcher of the Year this offseason, Cole Cook. Cook has posted double-digit wins in each of his two years in the league, both with Joliet. Cook finished 12-2 last year with a 2.23 ERA in 20 starts, fanning 131 over 137 innings.

Jake Joyce, Dylan Stutsman and Aaron Glickstein lead the returners on the pitching staff. Joyce and Stutsman double as members of the coaching staff. Joyce will enter his eighth season with the Boomers in 2024 and is the career leader in most pitching categories. Stutsman has been with the Boomers since 2018. Glickstein enters his third year with the team and has been used as both a starter and a reliever.

Jackson Hickert is back for his second season after pitching in 19 games last year, making 16 starts. Hickert was the starting and winning pitcher in the team’s first ever no-hitter against Florence on June 8. Cristian Lopez made 35 appearances on the mound in relief and struck out 53 in 59.2 innings of work. Lopez ended the year in the Atlantic League, pitching four times for Spire City.

Daiveyon Whittle and Matt Craven both come back to Schaumburg after limited runs in 2023. Whittle was picked up at the trade deadline in a deal with Windy City and pitched in eight games for the Boomers during the stretch run. Craven joined the team for its trip to Canada and pitched in one game, striking out four in three innings of work.

The remainder of the pitching staff to open camp features seven players with varying levels of experience. The most experienced is John Wilson, a left-handed pitcher out of the Twins’ organization. Wilson spent three years in their system and pitched 26 times in relief last year for Cedar Rapids. Dallas Woolfolk is also experienced, serving as a reliever for a pair of NCAA Regional team at Mississippi. The righty was a 13th round pick by the A’s and spent four years in their minor league system, making 76 career appearances.

Matt Helwig, Brendan Knoll, Jacob Smith, Mitch White and Cameron Zunkel all bring Pro-1 experience to camp. Helwig is a native of the South Suburbs who attended Lewis University as a reliever and spent extensive time in the Northwoods League. Knoll is from Minnesota and pitched at Minnesota State University Mankato, the same school as former Schaumburg hurler Aaron Rozek, who is currently in Triple-A. Knoll made 13 starts last summer in the MLB Draft League for State College. Jacob Smith is a lanky left-hander who started 11 games last year at the University of West Alabama. White completed his college career at Cincinnati and gained experience in a former Frontier League city, pitching in the Northwoods League for Traverse City as a reliever. Zunkel is a local product from Lombard, Ill. that was a decorated reliever at the University of Illinois-Springfield, appearing in the most games in program history. Zunkel finished 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA in his final year.

There will be several chances to catch the team in action before the season starts with three home exhibition contests. The Boomers will host Windy City on May 4 at 11am, play the MSL All-Stars under the lights on May 6 at 7pm and welcome Gary on May 7 at 11am. The home opener is right around the corner with the team facing Tri-City on May 13. Tri-City is led by manager Jamie Bennett’s mentor, Greg Tagert. The two have never faced each other in a regular season game.