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Pump Jacks Seventh Season to Open May 29

January 23, 2014 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


Let the countdown begin!

While Texas Rangers fans are eagerly waiting for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training (on February 16, by the way), East Texas Pump Jacks fans now have a date to circle on their calendars: May 29.

That's when the Pump Jacks' seventh season will kick off, the team announced Thursday along with the entire 2014 schedule.

"The fun and excitement of Pump Jacks baseball is back!" said Pump Jacks general manager Mike Lieberman. "Fireworks, promotions, giveaways, and some of the best collegiate ballplayers from around the country will return to Historic Driller Park and East Texas this summer."

The team hinted at a "big league" announcement coming next week, possibly to name a new head coach. Last year's Pump Jacks coaches - Mark Kertenian, Nate Leaser, and Nic Mishler - all earned new Division I jobs within two month of each other and therefore are unable to return to East Texas.

The new head coach will open the 2014 season on the road with a two-game set in Dallas against the Texas Marshals on May 29 and 30. The road trip will continue in Lafayette, La., with a pair of games against the Acadiana Cane Cutters.

The Pump Jacks kick off their home slate on Tuesday, June 3, when they welcome the Woodlands Strykers to Driller Park for a two-game series. The historic facility will host all 30 of the Pump Jacks home games in 2014, as it has for the franchise's first six seasons.

The Brazos Valley Bombers visit East Texas on June 7 and 8 in a matchup of the last two Texas Collegiate League champions. The Pump Jacks won the 2012 title in dramatic fashion against the Victoria Generals, and the Bombers captured their first championship last summer, also against the Generals. Less than a week after the TCL Championship Series, Brazos Valley was named the 2013 summer collegiate national champion in the final rankings published by Perfect Game.

For the fourth straight season, the Pump Jacks schedule is 60 games, evenly split between 30 games at Driller Park and 30 games on the road. The campaign is split into two halves, with the first half coming to a close on July 2. Team records will then reset to 0-0 on July 3 to open the second half of the season.

East Texas has fared well in the TCL's split-season format, which was first adopted for the 2010 season. The Jacks have never had a losing record in a half, winning four division titles in the process.

The 2014 TCL All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 8, one week before its major league counterpart. The league expects to announce the site shortly. The Pump Jacks hosted the last year's rendition of the league's midsummer classic.

With six teams in the TCL again this season, the schedule retains the same basic format as last summer. Every week, the Pump Jacks will play three, two-game series, with Monday serving as a league-wide off-day. The Jacks will also play a pair of doubleheaders this summer, on June 25 and August 5, in Dallas against the Marshals.

The regular season will conclude on August 8, followed by the playoffs. The complete schedule can be found below.

The Pump Jacks are expected to announce information about season tickets on Friday, including a special promotion for loyal fans who purchase their tickets early. The team added it could announce the new head coach early next week, suggesting that it will have "major league" implications on the Pump Jacks this summer.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from January 23, 2014


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