Chase Greening will make the trip north from Lufkin, while C.J. Jarvis and James Hudelson come to East Texas from Missouri.
The East Texas Pump Jacks have gone back to their roots to add three new players to the roster for 2011. Today the Pump Jacks announced the signing of Angelina College ace Chase Greening, a Lufkin native, as well as University of Missouri teammates C.J. Jarvis and James Hudelson.
Greening joins several East Texas natives on the Pump Jacks roster, including White Oak’s Blake Ware, Tyler’s Brett Pirtle and Jason Jester from Hallsville.
Jarvis and Hudelson extend a relationship between Mizzou and the Jacks that has seen five players with Missouri ties suit up in East Texas. Former all-TCL catcher Brett Nicholas left the Pump Jacks for Missouri before he was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Dusty Ross, who last summer set the TCL record for saves in a season while pitching for the Pump Jacks, came out of the bullpen for the Tigers this spring as well.
A star at Lufkin High School, Greening remained in Lufkin to pitch for Angelina. As a freshman, he went 7-5 with a 4.01 ERA and 52 strikeouts.
While his debut numbers were impressive, Greening’s sophomore season proved to be his breakout campaign. He went 10-2 to tie for the Region XIV lead in wins, and finished in the top 15 in the region with a 2.61 ERA. He struck out 63 and walked just eight batters in 69 innings of work. He is committed to move just up the road to Stephen F. Austin next year, where he will join Pump Jacks teammate Hunter Dozier with the Lumberjacks.
Greening led Lufkin to the state championship game in his senior season, racking up a 5-2 record. He posted a 2.59 ERA and three complete games to earn all-state accolades.
Jarvis was a highly-touted infielder during his prep career in Houston. He initially committed to the University of Oklahoma before making the switch to Big 12 rival Missouri.
Jarvis made 16 starts in 21 appearances this season for Mizzou, sharing time between second and third base. He became a member of the starting lineup during a late-April series against Baylor and immediately energized the Tigers. Missouri won four straight conference series, including two-of-three games from Big 12 co-champion Texas A&M, to earn a berth in the conference tournament.
A two-time all-district performer at Houston Christian High School, Jarvis was chosen to participate in Team USA’s National Team Identification Series as a junior in the fall of 2009. In leading the Texas squad to an 8-1 victory over North Atlantic, he went 3-for-3 with a single, double and a triple, and two stolen bases. At the event’s conclusion, Team USA named Jarvis one of eight selections for its 18-and-under Tournament of Stars entry.
In his senior campaign in high school, Jarvis batted .421 with nine home runs and 50 RBI. He was a first team all-city, all-state and All-American selection, leading Houston Christian to the state championship title game. Jarvis ended his high school career with a .400 batting average.
Making his way to East Texas with Jarvis is Hudelson, a relief pitcher for the Tigers. A Columbia native, Hudelson began his college career at Jefferson Community College in Hillsboro, Mo. In his sophomore season, he posted a team-leading 11 saves and struck out 29 in 24.2 innings of work to lead the Vikings to a third place finish in the NJCAA regional tournament.
Hudelson is no stranger to summer collegiate ball. He spent the last two seasons with the Hannibal Cavemen in the Prospect League. Following his freshman year in 2009, he led the Cavemen with four saves and registered a 2.66 ERA. He was even better the following summer, ranking among the league leaders with eight saves while going 3-0 with a sparkling 1.29 ERA. Over the course of two seasons, he struck out 44 batters in 44.2 innings.
A star at Hickman High School in Columbia, Hudelson garnered all-district and all-area honors in 2006, 2007 and 2008, leading the Kewpies to district championships in 2006 and 2008. In 2008, Hudelson tossed a complete game on his 18th birthday to seal the district title. He finished the season with a 2.75 ERA and 54 strikeouts.
Greening, Jarvis and Hudelson join a growing Pump Jacks roster that is shaping up to potentially become the best in team history. To see the current roster, please click here.
The Pump Jacks season opener is less than two weeks away! The Jacks will travel to Victoria to take on the Generals to open the season on June 1. The two teams return to East Texas for a championship rematch on Monday, June 6, at historic Driller Park. To see the Pump Jacks complete home schedule, please click here.
To follow all the news about new players, and to follow all of your favorite Pump Jacks around the nation, visit the team’s official website at pumpjacksbaseball.com, or log onto the Pump Jacks’ page on Facebook.
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