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Complete Forecast for  Jul 24 2008

KILGORE — The East Texas Pump Jacks doubled their roster Tuesday when the team signed three Weatherford College players — pitchers Khris Tate and Bryan Dixon and outfielder Garrett Smith, all freshmen.

The trio bring to six the number of players committed for the Pump Jacks’ inaugural season.

All three players are Texas natives. Tate and Smith prepped in nearby Carthage, while Dixon hails from Mesquite.

Smith has been an offensive leader for the Coyotes. With a school-record 22-game hitting streak in March and April, Smith’s average soared to over .400 before settling at .397 entering play this weekend. His average ranks second on the team and seventh in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC), and tops the Weatherford single-season record of .393. He also has 30 stolen bases in 30 attempts.

Tate tops the conference with a 2.79 ERA and .202 opponent’s batting average, surrendering just 38 hits in 51.2 innings. Tate has posted a 4-1 record in 12 appearances, including seven starts and one complete game. In addition to leading the staff in ERA, opponent’s batting average, and hits per nine innings (6.62), he also ranks among the staff leaders in innings, appearances, and starts.

At Carthage, Smith and Tate both received all-state recognition in 2007: Tate was a first team all-state shortstop, and Smith was named to the third team in the outfield.

Dixon leads the Coyotes with 20 appearances, adding a 6.70 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 44.1 innings. A two-time all-district performer at West Mesquite High School, Dixon originally signed with Arkansas before transferring to Weatherford. Flashing a fastball in the 90s and a plus slider, he posted a 1.53 ERA and a district-leading 95 strikeouts as a senior.

Season tickets for the Pump Jacks inaugural season are on sale now. For more information on Upper and Lower Box seats, in-your-seat wait service, the Pump Jacks Premier Club, and all there is to know about season tickets for the inaugural season, visit the team’s Web site at www.pumpjacksbaseball.com; stop by the team’s offices at 1100 Stone Road, Suite 120 in Kilgore; or call the Pump Jacks at their brand new office phone, (903) 218-GO ET.