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Pump Jacks Open Season Today, Finalize Roster

May 28, 2015 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


With the Pump Jacks eighth season opening tonight in Plano, the team rounded out its roster by introducing 15 more players Thursday.

The summer is here.

Forget the calendar, the weather, or any other indicator you may depend on to indicate the beginning of the season. The most important sign has shown itself.

The East Texas Pump Jacks season begins tonight.

The Jacks kick off their eighth Texas Collegiate League season, and the team's first in Tyler, with a visit to Plano to take on the Texas Marshals at Graham Field. Game time has been pushed back to 8:05 p.m.to ensure the field is ready to kick off the season.

Fans can follow all the action online on Pump Jacks TV by clicking here.

In anticipation of the opener, the Pump Jacks rounded out their squad with the addition of 15 more players to the roster, including four sets of spring teammates. Keene State College outfielder Joey Libby, and pitchers Eddie Dionne and Mike Crimi will be making the trip to East Texas, as will University of Nevada, Reno, pitcher Alex Lott and outfielder T.J. Friedl. Wofford College pitchers John Caskey and Quintin Pile join the Jacks, and the final tandem comes in the form of infielders Anthony Donovan and Dylan Mecham from Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona.

Tyler Adams from the University of Alabama, Dominican College's Franklin Miller, Joe Bernhard of Ave Maria University, and Lake Land College's Enrique Perez are the four pitchers that round out the Pump Jacks' staff. The infield was completed with the additions of infielder Reed Kienle from Menlo College and catcher Alex Bell from Slippery Rock University.

Libby will man the outfield for the Pump Jacks after spending the spring at Keene State. As a junior this spring, he hit .368 with 11 RBI and 19 runs scored, and struck out just six times in 125 at bats, to earn a spot on the Little East all-conference team.

Dionne pitched 24 innings in 11 games this spring as a junior, and his 25 strikeouts ranked second on the staff. He pitched for the Nashua Silver Knights of the Futures Collegiate League in New England last summer, and struck out 25 over 25.1 innings.

Crimi struck out 22 over 20 innings as a sophomore for the Owls, and posted a 2-1 record. He went 1-0 in six appearances as a freshman last spring, and had four strikeouts over 8.2 innings.

The three-man catching corps is complete with the arrival of Bell, who enjoyed a prolific offensive season at Slippery Rock. He hit .318 with five home runs, 35 RBI, and 30 runs scored, while posting a slugging percentage of .493. He recorded 13 multi-hit games, 11 multi-RBI games, and owned a .550 batting average against left-handed pitching.

Lott and Friedl spent the spring with Nevada, and helped the Wolf Pack reach a No. 22 ranking by the end of the regular season. Unfortunately, the Wolf Pack suffered two quick losses in the Mountain West Championship and narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

Lott saw limited time this spring as a junior, pitching 11.1 innings and striking out eight, but enjoyed two first-team All-Big 8 seasons at San Joaquin Delta College in northern California before transferring. As a sophomore at Delta, he earned seven wins and maintained a 1.50 ERA with 50 strikeouts over 45 innings. His freshman ERA bottomed out at 1.37, and he struck out 32 over 39.1 innings pitched.

Freidl didn't see the field this spring, but played in 30 games last season as a true freshman. He collected seven hits, four RBI, and scored seven runs. He also has a season of summer collegiate baseball under his belt after playing with the Kitsap Blue Jackets of the West Coast League last summer. In 29 games, he hit .314 with nine RBI, 21 runs scored, 22 walks, and 33 total hits.

Adams spent the spring as a redshirt freshman with Alabama, but comes to the Jacks with solid summer collegiate experience. He made 12 appearances for the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs of the Florida Collegiate League last summer, and struck out 23 batters over 19.2 innings.

Before an injury forced Pile into a medical redshirt, the Bullard native threw four innings for Wofford this spring and struck out three.

Caskey appeared in 8 games this spring as a sophomore, including four starts, and struck out 22 batters over 26 innings for the Terriers. He recorded his lone save of the season after striking out nine in four scoreless innings against Xavier in February.

The Pump Jacks' roster features an Ave Maria pitcher for the second straight summer. Bernhard follows current Gyrene teammate Ray Messner, who was third on the staff in innings pitched in 2014. Bernhard made 12 appearances during his freshman season, and struck out 15 batters over 17 innings.

Miller pitched 32.2 innings at Dominican College this spring as a sophomore, and struck out 27. He pitched for the Adirondack Trail Blazers in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League last summer, and ranked second on the staff in innings pitched (36.1) and strikeouts (35).

Perez is getting his first shot at summer collegiate baseball after pitching 14.1 innings for Lake Land College this spring as a freshman. He posted a 1-1 record with a save, and struck out 11 batters.

The last pair of spring teammates joining the Jacks for the summer are freshmen infielders Mecham and Donovan from Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Mecham played in 29 games for the Coyotes and collected 18 hits, including a home run, a triple, and two doubles.

Donovan hit .286 with six RBI through 21 games in his debut season. He posted an on-base percentage of .356, and was perfect in his two steal attempts.

The majority of the Pump Jacks' roster and staff are arriving today, and while these players are arranged with host families for the season, the Jacks are still in need of generous families to house players who have yet to arrive. If you would like to host a player this summer, you can apply here. For general information on the program, call the Pump Jacks' office at (903) 218-GO ET (4638) or inquire via email at info@pumpjacksbaseball.com.

The Jacks' first home game in Tyler is on Thursday, June 4, when the Acadiana Cane Cutters visit Irwin UT Tyler Ballpark. Click here for the complete schedule.

Season tickets for the Pump Jacks' first season in Tyler are still on sale! Season tickets are available in the box seats (with in-seat wait service!), reserved seats, or general admission. Click here for more information or contact the Pump Jacks at (903) 218-GO ET (4638). Tickets may be purchased online or at the Pump Jacks' new office located at 1805 Overbrook Drive, just off Paluxy Drive near Loop 323. The Jacks may also be reached by phone or via e-mail at info@pumpjacksbaseball.com.



Texas Collegiate League Stories from May 28, 2015


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