The Texas Collegiate League on Wednesday announced the addition of an expansion
franchise in Victoria.
 
The team, which will be operated by Victoria Pro Baseball, LLC, will begin play in the 2009 season.

"Victoria is about to find out what East Texas baseball fans discovered this past summer: TCL baseball is fun, exciting, affordable, and family-friendly," said East Texas Pump Jacks' general manager Mike Lieberman. "The new franchise is also good for the league, because Victoria is a very strong market. Fans across the league should be applauding the addition of Victoria to the TCL."

 

League president Uri Geva was on hand for the announcement, adding that this is just one step in a continued plan of deliberate growth for the TCL.

"Expansion is one of our top priorities as a league, and we are evaluating a number of future options for the league's growth. Adding a strong market like Victoria provides a great boost to the league and opens the door for potential future expansion, especially to the south."

The Pump Jacks joined the fold this past summer, and the Brazos Valley Bombers began the expansion streak in 2007. The Coppell Copperheads and the defending champion McKinney Marshals make up the rest of the five-team TCL.

 

The Pump Jacks finished the regular season 22-26 (third in the TCL) and faced Coppell in the first round of the playoffs.

The Pump Jacks drew 15,490 fans in the regular season and finished second in the league in attendance during the regular season.

In the playoffs, the Pump Jacks lost two in a row to Coppell (5-1 and 4-2) to finish the year 22-28

The new Victoria franchise will play its home games at Riverside Stadium. Like Driller Park, the Pump Jacks' home field, historic Riverside Stadium has been updated and upgraded in recent years.

 

The first order of business for the new franchise will be to select a nickname. The most popular nickname from past minor league teams in Victoria was Rosebuds, which dates back to 1910 and was shared by no fewer than four franchises. In fact, the last minor league team to call Victoria home, as a member of the Lone Star League in 1977, was known as the Rosebuds. Other nicknames used by Victoria minor league teams include the Cowboys, Toros, Giants, and Eagles.

 

Victoria's baseball history dates back to the original Rosebuds in 1910, then members of the Southwest Texas League. Victoria has been home to minor league affiliates of the both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers as well as the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles. The last baseball franchise to call Victoria home was a member of the Lone Star League in 1977. Alumni of Victoria's minor league teams include 1960 National League Rookie of the Year Frank Howard and Tommy Davis, who won a World Series and became an all-star with the L.A. Dodgers.

 

With Victoria in the fold, the TCL will turn its attention to developing a schedule. A schedule for the 48-game season will be developed in the coming weeks, with an announcement tentatively scheduled for the middle of December.