Host Pump Jacks Land Eight on All-Star Squad

Published on July 5, 2013 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


In the last three years, no team has had more players and coaches selected for the TCL All-Star Game than the East Texas Pump Jacks. So it should come as no surprise that when the Pump Jacks host the 2013 midsummer classic next week at historic Driller Park, the lion's share of the starting lineup for the East all-stars will hail from East Texas.

The Texas Collegiate League today announced the starting lineups and reserves for this year's All-Star Game, and eight Pump Jacks have been selected for the affair. Six of the Jacks will start in the game: Brooks Marlow at second base, Joey Armstrong at third, Garrett McMullen and Matthew Dickey in the outfield, Ty Marlow at designated hitter, and Austin Watson on the mound. Jordan Johnson and Nick Rossetta will come out of the pen for the East.

Also leading the East will be the Pump Jacks coaching staff, Nate Leaser and Nic Mishler.

This summer, the TCL will split the league into the East and West squads. Joining the Pump Jacks on the East side will be the Acadiana Cane Cutters and the Woodlands Strykers. The West squad will consist of players from the Brazos Valley Bombers, Victoria Generals, and Texas Marshals.

East Texas and The Woodlands each placed eight players on the East squad. First-place Brazos Valley tops all teams with 11 players in the midsummer classic.

Brooks Marlow finished the first half of the season batting .380, the top average in the league. Brooks opened the season with a ten-game hitting streak and has not cooled off since. The Longhorn also collected seven doubles, good for second in the TCL behind McMullen and G.R. Hinsley from Brazos Valley. Marlow also leads the Pump Jacks with 23 runs scored.

Brooks will be joined by his older brother Ty, one of two participants in the game who will be making their second all-star appearance. The starting second baseman in the 2011 TCL All-Star Game, Ty will start at designated hitter after also receiving votes as a pitcher.

Through the first half of the season Ty is batting .230 and he's tied for the team lead with three home runs. He's also scored 18 runs, which is second on the team to Brooks.

A true utility player, Ty has stepped into a closing role for the Pump Jacks. The elder Marlow has come on in relief eight times and has picked up two saves, tying him with Kenny Oakley for the team lead. In 14 innings, Ty has yet to give up a run while striking out 14 and walking only two.

McMullen was named the first Warstic TCL Player of the Week this summer and he has remained a cornerstone of the Pump Jacks attack all year. He is tied for the league lead with eight doubles and sixth in the league with a .324 average.

The Longview native's most imposing skill, though, might be one that he can't show at the plate. He has registered six outfield assists, gunning down opposing runners trying to score. McMullen cut down two at the plate in the first four games of the season, when he also batted .643. He added three doubles, three stolen bases and five RBI in winning Player of the Week honors.

Dickey is a prototypical leadoff hitter, using his speed to torment opponents. The Kilgore native is batting .319 on the season after finding his stroke a dozen games into the summer. He is also tied for third on the team with 12 walks, giving him a solid .404 on-base percentage.

The freshman's most notable tool, though, is his speed. Dickey leads the Pump Jacks with 14 stolen bases, good for fourth in the TCL. He is on pace to challenge the team record of 33 stolen bases, set two years ago by Los Angeles Angels draftee Kirby Pellant.

Armstrong has been a run-producer in the middle of the order for the Pump Jacks, and one of the best in the league at that. The UNLV freshman is batting .310 and sits fifth in the league with 21 RBI. He also has half of the Pump Jacks' triples on the season. The versatile Armstrong has started primarily at third base, but he's also seen time behind the plate and in the outfield.

Armstrong's value to the Jacks was on display Thursday night, when he went 3-for-5 to lead East Texas to a victory over the Woodlands Strykers. Armstrong crushed his second homer of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh inning that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead the Pump Jacks did not relinquish.

Watson will start the game on the mound for the East after being named to the team's top left-hander. The Ouachita Baptist junior was the opening day starter for the Jacks and he's remained an anchor to the rotation ever since. His 1-0 record in six starts is hardly indicative of his performance. Watson has allowed five earned runs in 33.1 innings pitched, a 1.35 ERA that is second in the league. In fact, he has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any start this season.

Rossetta has made five starts for the Pump Jacks and he's fourth in the league with 34.1 innings pitched. His three wins lead the Jacks, leaving him one back of the league leader. The first East Texas player from Long Beach State, Rossetta's 25 strikeouts are second only to Watson's 26 on the Pump Jacks.

In his last start for the Jacks, the Dirtbag pitched eight shutout innings with a season-high eight strikeouts to help secure a win and move the Jacks to .500 to end the first half.

Rounding out the pitchers for the Jacks is Johnson. After spending most of the year at Cal State Northridge recovering from Tommy John surgery, Johnson made his return to mound at the end of the spring and hasn't missed a beat. Since arriving in East Texas, Johnson has made five appearances, including two starts. In 22.1 innings, he has allowed only two earned runs for a sparkling 0.80 ERA. He's allowed just 13 hits and five walks while striking out 22.

Johnson went the distance, and then some, in the opener of a doubleheader against the Strykers on June 23. In the scheduled seven-inning affair, the right-hander carried the Jacks through eight innings and earned his first win of the season. Johnson recorded nine strikeouts while allowing only one unearned run on three hits in the complete game victory. For his efforts, he was named Warstic TCL Pitcher of the Week, the first Pump Jacks to earn such an honor this season.

After a four-game road trip all eyes will be on East Texas for the TCL All-Star Game on Tuesday. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m., with the Home Run Derby kicking off at 6 p.m. An all-star autograph session will follow, then player introductions. The main event is scheduled for a 7:05 first pitch.

Tickets for the TCL All-Star Game can be purchased online at pumpjacksbaseball.com, in person at the Pump Jacks office at 106 North Kilgore Street, #201, in downtown Kilgore, or at the ticket office at Driller Park the night of the game.

To get all the news on the Pump Jacks 2013 season, including game stories and promotional updates, visit the Pump Jacks official web site at www.pumpjacksbaseball.com. Join the conversation with other members of Pump Jacks Nation by visiting the Pump Jacks on Facebook and Twitter.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from July 5, 2013


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