End of season a wild time for Pump Jacks

EVER-CHANGING, AT LEAST UNTIL SUNDAY — The East Texas Pump Jacks, and all Texas Collegiate League teams, can still sign players, even with the playoffs about to begin. The rosters for each of the five teams must be set by Sunday, however. Above: Kyle Frasard, a junior at Texas Wesleyan, takes a warm-up swing. Frasard was signed recently, and made a difference for the Pump Jacks before being injured in a game last week at Driller Park. The Pump Jacks are bringing in two players as the roster deadline for the league approaches. Not knowing the players without a program is an old saying for many, but reality this time of year for the East Texas Pump Jacks, who are scrambling to find ways to help their franchise do well in the upcoming Texas Collegiate League playoffs before Sunday's transaction deadline.

The final week of the league's regular season starts Monday, with the Pump Jacks hosting McKinney. But playoff positioning is going on now, and with players leaving due to all sorts of reasons, East Texas and the four other TCL teams are trying to fill holes with capable personnel.

"It's one of those things that, you can set a roster in October or November, and you've got 30-plus players who are committed to coming in. And then the shuffling starts," said Mike Lieberman, the Pump Jacks' general manager and a co-owner. "You get the guys that decide they want to play closer to home, or play summer school, or has a nagging injury. Then once the season starts, you get guys who get hurt."

A good example of that within the Pump Jacks' franchise is Mesa, Ariz., native Kyle Frasard, a Texas Wesleyan standout who just signed a few weeks ago, but was injured during an at-bat last week, and won't be back.

"In a normal season, in the course of say, a high school or college season, a nagging injury might make a player sit for a while," Lieberman said. "For us, though, with such a short year, an injury is normally the end of the season."

The Pump Jacks, who are still alive to finish

with the best record in the TCL's regular season, have signed a couple of players that they believe will help them in this playoff push. "Dusty Ross came in from Vernon Junior College," Liberman said. "He's a freshman pitcher. He's thrown in a couple of games, and is there to shore up the bullpen." Another signee is Dallas Baptist standout Michael LaCourse, an NJCAA All-American last year at Tyler Junior College. LaCourse, a pitcher, played for the Pump Jacks last year, and is coming in from the Jayhawk League. Depth at this time of year is hard to come by. Players that have been on the roster since the beginning of the season begin to depart — to have time off before school, to see family and friends, and various other reasons.

"Everybody is working the phones," Lieberman explained. "And the moment you think you're the team that's short handed, you go to another park to play a series and you find out that another team is much worse off."

Keeping a good pitching staff intact can be a particularly bad problem, he said.

"It's a constant struggle to find more arms," Lieberman said. "At the end of the season, obviously, there's even greater importance because of the playoffs. Everybody wants to win."

The Pump Jacks were rained out Thursday night at Coppell, but at press time for this edition of the News Herald, the Pump Jacks were scheduled to play a doubleheader on Friday evening at Coppell. The Pump Jacks are then off the remainder of the weekend, and come home to host McKinney on Monday.

A see-saw schedule is in front of East Texas next week. They'll play at McKinney Tuesday, host Brazos Valley Wednesday and Thursday, then play at McKinney to close the regular season Friday and Saturday.

The top four teams (out of five) make the TCL playoffs. The two teams with the best records then host the other two teams in best-of-threegame series. The two winners meet the following week for the TCL championship.

And technically, with a week to play, nothing is decided.

"Nobody's out of it," Lieberman said. "We're trying to finish in first or second place. Coppell and McKinney are battling for that last playoff spot. They're the last two TCL champions, and neither of them has ever missed the playoffs."

Needless to say, it's going to be an interesting week for Pump Jacks Nation.