The East Texas Pump Jacks will have a familiar face in the dugout next summer, announcing today that head coach Ben Taylor will return for the 2010 season.

"We are excited that Ben will be the Pump Jacks head coach again next season," said general manager Mike Lieberman. "Under his direction this past summer, the Pump Jacks became one of the league's most competitive teams, and next year we look forward to contending for a TCL championship."

"Being asked back to manage the Pump Jacks is a real honor," said Taylor. "I feel like I have some unfinished business to take care of at Driller Park. Anything less than bringing a championship to the Pump Jacks' outstanding fans will be disappointing."

In his first year at the helm, Taylor's Pump Jacks went 26-21 with one tie, setting a franchise record for wins in a season. The Jacks finished in second place in the regular season standings, securing home field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs for the first time in team history.

Having one year under his belt should help Taylor prepare for the upcoming season.

"In my first year in the league, I knew the TCL had a reputation for being highly competitive and loaded with good players – I had no idea just how good, though," he observed. "I was very impressed to say the least.

"Now, with a year under my belt and armed with strong relationships with some excellent baseball schools, I'm already excited about next summer. What's really driving me during recruiting is a championship."

From his home in Scottsdale, where he is the associate head coach of at Scottsdale Community College, Taylor indicated Jacks fans will see a mix of both old and new in 2010.

"As everyone knows, Driller Park plays big, and I like the running game as an offensive weapon. I've made this a priority as we've begun putting the roster together for next season. We led the league with 65 stolen bases, and we'd like to add 20 to 30 more bags to that total.

"Though we'll have many new names to learn, we're very fortunate to have several key players returning to the Piney Woods of East Texas," continued Taylor. "I'm sure we'll be announcing them all as the roster comes together, but I can say now we have some fan favorites returning both on the mound and from the top of the order."

Taylor said he expects fans to be very pleased with some of the players coming back in 2010. After he was hired in October, Taylor led recruiting efforts that landed three of the league's top ten prospects and five members of the TCL's All-League team, both league highs.

The Washington State native expects to attract talent not only from Texas, but also Louisiana, Arkansas, and across the country. This summer, the Jacks roster included players from or who went to school in 12 different states, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia.

While Taylor is assembling next summer's roster, he's also busy preparing for his seventh season in Scottsdale. Last spring, his Artichokes finished as the national runner-up after reaching the Junior College Div. II World Series for the second time in three years. In 2007, Scottsdale Community College placed third in the country.

Taylor is also an associate scout for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he's developed a catcher's development program for the Chinese National Team when it trains stateside in Scottsdale.

The Pump Jacks expect season tickets for the 2010 season to go on sale later this week. An "early bird" discount will be offered to both renewing and new season ticket holders. The team also expects to announce a giveaway promotion tied to the sale of season tickets that will include game-worn and autographed memorabilia. Information on season tickets will be available on the Pump Jacks web site at www.pumpjacksbaseball.com.

Also coming this week are the TCL's fall meetings, where league expansion is expected to be a hot topic. To follow all the off-season developments, log on to the Pump Jacks official web site at www.pumpjacksbaseball.com. Merchandise is also available throughout the off-season at the Pump Jacks office at 1100 Stone Road, Suite 120, in Kilgore, or by phone at (903) 218-GO ET.