Jones is a hit for the Tribe

Jeff Jones, a Colonial Forge High School graduate, has made steady if not spectacular progress during his baseball career at William and Mary. Now he has put himself into position to have a memorable senior season.

The Stafford resident played in just 18 games, with two starts, as a freshman for the Tribe and hit .250. As a sophomore Jones saw action in 24 games (with four starts) and hit just .176 with eight RBIs. But last year as a junior Jones played in 46 games, with 28 starts in the outfield, and hit .327 with two homers and eight RBIs and tied for eighth in the Colonial Athletic Association with 16 steals.

But Jones, 22, now the starting center fielder for the Tribe, has never been drafted by a Major League team. He was eligible after his senior year at Colonial Forge and after his junior year at William and Mary, but his name was not called.

“I don’t have the leverage,” said Jones, who would not have much bargaining power if he was drafted after his senior season. “I just want the opportunity to play. The money is not going to be there” as a senior. College juniors who get drafted have leverage since they go can go back to school for their senior season if they are not happy with the signing bonus offered by a Major League team.

Jones hopes to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, John Myron, who played baseball in college at UCLA and played pro ball in the farm system of the Colorado Rockies. “Absolutely. It is a possibility,” Jones said of being selected.

The Major League draft will be held in early June and Jones is certainly off to a good start at William and Mary, which hosts George Mason in a CAA series March 27-29 in Williamsburg. In his first 63 at bats this season Jones hit a team-high .333 with seven doubles, two triples, one homer and 12 RBIs for the Tribe. He had one hit as the Tribe lost, 6-4, in 10 innings March 20 in the first CAA game of the season to Georgia State.

“I struggled a little the first few games,” Jones said. “I am trying to get my timing down and focusing on seeing the ball. I am trying to concentrate and not think about anything in the batter’s box.”

Jones, who was born in Hawaii, is not only a regular this year but the team relies on his leadership. “Being a senior and being one of the guys that is part of the team, they rely on me to step up and not only produce at the plate … but we have 10 freshmen coming in this year, which is a large class. So we need to keep them on track,” he said.

Last season the Tribe advanced to the CAA tournament semifinals and had three All-Americans: Mike Sheridan, catcher Tim Park and outfielder Ben Guez. Sheridan was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Rays and Guez was taken in the 19th round by the Detroit Tigers.

“The team dynamics is definitely different with those guys gone,” Jones said. “But we still have several returning players who had a large impact last season. We still have those guys.”

Jones played last summer for a team in Silver Spring, Md., in a college league. He worked out on a regular basis prior to this season with Sheridan, who grew up in Washington, D.C.

“It is big shoes to fill,” he said of Sheridan, Park and Guez. “Obviously those guys are very talented and they put up amazing numbers. We are not trying to focus much on last year’s team.”

Jones, who hits from the right side, normally batted seventh in the lineup for head coach Frank Leoni last season but he has been moved up to vital fourth spot this season.

As a four-year lettermen at Colonial Forge, Jones hit .397 with five homers as a senior and he gained all-state and all-region honors and was named the school’s male student-athlete of the year in his final prep year.

David Driver is a contributing writer for The Stafford County Sun. He can be reached at info@staffordcountysun.com