Astros Announce JetHawks 2016 Roster

LANCASTER, Calif. - The JetHawks preliminary Opening Day roster for the franchise's 20th anniversary season was announced by the Houston Astros on Tuesday. The group includes eight returning players including utility man Marc Wik and pitcher Akeem Bostick.
Wik, who first debuted with the JetHawks briefly in 2014, posted a .374 OBP in 90 games as both an infielder and outfielder with the JetHawks last season. He hit for the cycle on June 3, 2015 at High Desert, and is one of just eight players to accomplish the feat in the club's history. Bostick, a second round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2013, was acquired by the Astros last season via trade and finished the season in Lancaster. He won six games in 12 starts and enters the 2016 season ranked in the organization's top-30 prospects by mlb.com. Other returners include catcher Jamie Ritchtie, infielder Jose Fernandez and pitchers Kevin Comer, Evan Grills, Ryan Thompson and Andrew Walter.

Award-winning former USC catcher Garrett Stubbs is among the new names making his way to The Hangar. An 8th-round pick in 2015, the Del Mar, Calif. native won the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's best collegiate backstop, in his final season with the Trojans. He will catch another highly touted collegiate prospect, pitcher Riley Ferrell, who was drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round in 2015 out of TCU. He's ranked as the system's 20th-best prospect by mlb.com.

 
Stubbs and Ferrell lead a group of 15 players who finished last season on the Low-A Quad Cities team that won 88 games. Pitcher Joshua James went 7-4 with a 2.63 ERA in 116.1 innings for the River Bandits while pitcher Brock Dykxhoorn won eight games and tossed 109 innings. Other pitchers from last year's Quad Cities club include Dean Deetz, Elieser Hernandez, Angel Heredia, Eric Peterson and Trent Thornton.

 
Infielder Nick Tanielu hit .308 with 37 extra-base hits and was named a Midwest League All-Star in 2015. He's joined on the infield by Kristian Trompiz who stole 40 bases for Quad Cities in 2015.

 
Outfielder Bobby Boyd also heads to Lancaster coming off a 40 steal season in the Midwest League. Ramon Laureano, Jason Martin and Drew Ferguson round out Lancaster's group of outfielders who finished 2015 with the River Bandits. Cuban-native Alejandro Garcia is an outfielder making the jump to the Cal League from the Dominican Summer League.
Pitchers Trent Thornton and Scott Weathersby, catcher Richard Gonzalez, and infielder Bryan Muniz all finished the 2015 season with short-season Tri-City. Muniz also appeared in 45 games with Quad Cities.

The club is led this season by first-year manager Ramon Vazquez, hitting coach Darryl Robinson and pitching coach Mike Burns.

The JetHawks preliminary roster is subject to change and will not be finalized until the April 7 season-opener.
The JetHawks' home opener is Thursday, April 14 as the franchise celebrates 20 seasons in Lancaster. Great ticket packages and group events are on sale now at jethawks.com or by calling (661) 726-5400.