Ryne Tacker Hometown: Benbrook High School: Western Hills Last College: Navarro JC Height / Weight: 6-1 / 195 Position: p Experience: 1L B/T: R/R

Brings senior experience to the staff... Dependable arm strength and has performed well in previous starts... Unselfish team player.

Wayne Graham said -- "Ryne is an intriguing possibility. He has the stuff to come out of obscurity and be a top pitcher."

RICE
2006: Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll... Sat out the entire college season with an injury, but that didn't stop the Seattle Mariners from selecting him in the annual major league draft (49th round)... Worked hard to bounce back and played in the Texas Collegiate League (Coppell) over the summer... Looked sharp in the Owls' fall practices, holding his Rice teammates to a composite .136 batting average in the competitive Blue-Gray scrimmages... 2005: Undefeated (4-0) as a newcomer with a 3.93 ERA in 36.2 innings... Finished sixth on the team in innings and tied for fourth in starts (6)... Allowed 6.9 hits and 5.2 walks with 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings of work... Held 135 hitters faced to a composite .207 batting average... Worked seven games coming out of the bullpen, including a perfect inning in the Super Regional finale... Proved to be sharper when used as a starter... All but one of six starts lasted at least five innings... Earned first Rice win with a career-long seven innings on the road at Lamar,scattering just two hits and striking out four... Posted wins over TCU, Nevada and San Jose State... Stepped up with solid outings against teams that went on to earn regional bids, maintaining 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings against some of the toughest teams on the schedule... Made his Rice debut in relief against Baylor at the Minute Maid Park College Classic (Feb. 13), working 1.2 scoreless innings.

JUNIOR COLLEGE -- 2004 graduate of Navarro College in Corsicana... Teammate of current student coach Chase Taylor... Starter for coach Skip Johnson... Helped the Bulldogs to the conference title... Earned academic all-America honors.

TEXAS A&M -- Appeared in seven games with two starts as a pitcher at nationally-ranked Texas A&M in 2003... Maintained a 4.02 ERA with no decisions or saves in 15. 2 innings of work in first season of Division I baseball... Struck out 13 of 60 batters faced and held all hitters to a combined .267 average.

HIGH SCHOOL -- 2002 graduate of Western Hills High School in Fort Worth... Two-year starter and letterman for the Cougars under coach Steve Jimenez... Two-time first-team all-state honoree and all-District 7-4A MVP... Selected to the all-state tournament team... Went 13-2 as a senior... Won 25 games during prep career, leading the team win two district titles... Helped lead the Cougars the state championship his junior year and to the regional quarterfinals his senior year... A three-year starter and letterman for the football team... Two-time all-district punter, first team all-district place kicker... Also a three-year starter and letterman in basketball... Maintained a 4.3 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and graduated sixth in a class of 300.

PERSONAL -- Full Name: Nathan Ryne Tacker. Born: Feb. 2, 1984, in Fort Worth. Parents: Bob and Cindy Tacker, Benbrook (one brother, one sister). Father played baseball at Sam Houston State University. Younger brother plays baseball at Navarro Junior College. Major: kinesiology/managerial studies. College: Baker.