Jacks Sign MLB Draft Pick and Two Impressive Outfielders

Published on May 22, 2014 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


With one week to go before the season begins, summer collegiate teams across the country are doing everything they can to shore up their pitching staffs.

In East Texas, the Pump Jacks have done just that - by adding a pitcher who just last year was selected in the major league draft.

The East Texas Pump Jacks announced Thursday the team has signed pitcher Tanner Cable from Northwest Mississippi Community College, along with outfielders Chris Osborne (Edmonds Community College) and Raymond Pedrina (Lewis-Clark State College)

Cable was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 26th round last year, but he opted to return to Northwest this spring. He responded by going 6-2 this season with a 4.27 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 41 innings. Cable was recently named to the 2014 all-state team while helping the Rangers earn a top-20 national ranking.

Last spring, Cable finished third on the staff with 42 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .249 average as freshman. He appeared in 14 games with eight starts posting a 4.11 ERA in 47 innings.

Cable will be joined in East Texas by Northwest teammate James Lear, the school record-hold for stolen bases.

A product of Southaven High School in Southaven, Miss., Cable posted a 1.73 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 28.1 innings during his senior campaign.

Osborne brings his big bat to the Pump Jacks after helping lead Edmonds to a division title. Heading into the NWAACC championships, he is batting .300 with three home runs and 33 RBI. Osborne leads the division with five triples, he's third in RBI, and he also ranks in the top-10 in home runs and runs scored (23).

Osborne flew out of the gate this season, batting .455 through his first dozen games. His first four hits and five of his first six safeties were of the extra base variety.

The Washington native is not done putting up numbers this season, either. Edmonds and the Tritons are headed to the NWAACC championships this weekend in hopes of winning the eighth title in school history.

Last summer, Osborne was a member of the Pacific International League champion Everett Merchants. He batted .383 and finished second on the team with 10 doubles.

Osborne prepped at Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood, Wash., where he was named to the all-region team in 2012. He helped lead the Mavericks to back-to-back district championships in 2010 and 2011.

Pedrina has made the most of his time for the No. 2-ranked NAIA team in the country. Despite playing on a deep team as a true freshman, Pedrina batted .333 in 28 games during the regular season. He and his Lewis-Clark teammates are currently hosting the Avista NAIA World Series with hopes of capturing the school's 17th national title.

Should he win a title, it will put him in the same company as Pump Jacks head coach John Foster, who was a member of the 1999 Warriors squad that won a national title. Foster was named Most Outstanding Player by Lewis-Clark in '99 and earned two wins in the World Series.

The Kapolei, Hawaii native was named all-state while at James Campbell High School and led his team to the Oahu Interscholastic Association title as a senior.

Head Coach John Foster and the Pump Jacks kick off the season in Dallas on Thursday, May 29, against the Texas Marshalls. The club returns to East Texas for its home opener on Tuesday, June 3, when the Woodlands Strykers visit historic Driller Park.

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