Justin Murray
East Texas Pump Jacks pitcher Justin Murray is now an ex-Pump Jack.
Murray has signed with the Oakland A’s, becoming the first Pump Jacks player to turn pro in the organization’s history. The A’s drafted Murray in the 29th round of Major League’s Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft last month following his junior season at Kansas State.
The righthander had made five starts since joining East Texas a few weeks into the season, going 0-1 with a 4.45 ERA. Murray was third on the staff with 30.1 innings pitched and had allowed 28 hits for an impressive .237 opponents’ batting average. He struck out 27 and walked just five.
In his last start, on July 20 against the defending champion Coppell Copperheads, Murray went seven innings and allowed one run on just two hits with an Oakland scout in attendance.
After reporting to the A’s spring training complex in Phoenix, Ariz., over the weekend, Murray will likely begin his pro career by the end of this week. He is expected to be assigned to the Vancouver Canadians, Oakland’s affiliate in the Class A Northwest League.
Last summer, Murray gained widespread attention in a breakout season for the McKinney Marshals. He was named the TCL’s Pitcher of the Year after going 5-2 with an unheard-of 0.54 ERA. In 50 innings pitched, he allowed merely three earned runs and walked only eight batters while striking out 48. Murray topped the TCL in ERA, tied for the league lead in wins, and finished fourth in strikeouts. Following the season, he was named the league’s #3 prospect by Baseball America.
In his junior season with the Wildcats, Murray went 3-2 with a 4.21 ERA, finishing second on the staff in starts and innings pitched. Pitching primarily out of the bullpen in 2007 as a sophomore, he led Kansas State pitchers in appearances.
Murray was one of four Pump Jacks players who were picked by Major League teams in last month’s draft. Louisiana Tech’s Luke Burnett was the highest selection, going in the 14th round to the Seattle Mariners. Justin Fowler (Texarkana College) was picked in the 30th round by the Atlanta Braves, and the Pittsburgh Pirates tabbed Matt Curry (Howard College) in the 37th round.
The Pump Jacks open a six-game homestand tomorrow night that will finish out the regular season. All of your favorite promotions will be part of the final homestand, including Fireworks Friday on August 1, plus a team poster giveaway on Saturday, August 2. Thursday, July 31 will be another Thirsty Thursday – with 50-cent small soft drinks and draft beers for just one dollar – and Sunday, August 3, will be Family Night at Driller Park. The homestand will kick off with Two Dollar Tuesday and Pump Jacks Pride Wednesday. Bring your friends and family to be part of the final homestand of the Pump Jacks first-ever regular season.
Mark your calendars for August 5 – the date the TCL playoffs will begin – because the Pump Jacks are going to be a part of it! Depending on where the team finishes in the standings, the Pump Jacks will play their first-ever home playoff game at Driller Park on either Tuesday, August 5, or Wednesday, August 6. More information will be available during the final homestand, so be sure to visit pumpjacksbaseball.com for all the details.
Tickets for the final homestand are on sale now. Fans may purchase tickets at the Pump Jacks office at 1100 Stone Road, Suite 120, in Kilgore, or over the phone at (903) 218-GO ET. Tickets may also be purchased online – and printed at home on any home printer – by visiting www.pumpjacksbaseball.com.
Single-game tickets start at $5 each – or $4 for children and seniors – for grandstand general admission tickets. Upper Box seats are $8 each, and Lower Box seats, which feature in-your-seat wait service, are only $10 per ticket.
