Tyler Jones didn’t know he was being followed.
Four months ago, Jones learned the baseball coaches at Mississippi Delta Community College had been monitoring his progress for the past two years. Jones made the discovery at a tryout in Moorhead that was designed to help him enhance his recruiting profile.
At that point, Jones wasn’t sure if anyone was watching him. After all, he was coming off a junior season in which he hit less than .200 and struggled with his confidence at the plate. But Jones was committed to erasing those memories and forging a new path. That’s why he re-dedicated himself to getting better as a hitter in the offseason and tried to put the struggles of his junior season behind him.
“It was definitely a challenge,” Jones said when he learned in November that the Mississippi Delta C.C. knew of him and were interested in him. “They were the first who told me that — to work on my hitting — in a while, so I knew they had some interest in me, so from that day I was in the field house three days a week and staying after practice and working on my away pitches and all of that.”
The smile on Jones’ face Wednesday showed he accomplished his goal.
Jones saved the biggest smiles for a round of pictures that captured him sitting with his parents, coaches, and teammates following his decision to sign a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Mississippi Delta C.C.
Jones said he will receive a partial academic scholarship and a partial athletic scholarship to play baseball for coach Michael Avalon.
New Hope High coach Lee Boyd said Jones’ versatility helped him realize a goal to play baseball in college. Last season, Jones played second base and saw action in 29 of 32 games for the Trojans, who finished 25-7 and lost to Oxford in Game 3 of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State title series.
“He is a really good runner. He is a 6.8 runner,” Boyd said. “I think the biggest hold-up with him was how is he going to hit? He didn’t hit last year like we knew he could. He has kind of made that turn this year.
“He has a good bat. I think it is a good pickup for Delta.”
But Jones only had four hits last season, which he admitted caused him to doubt whether he would be able to fulfill his dream of playing at the next level.
Jones’ hard work is paying off this season. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound multi-purpose player is hitting .429 (9-for-21) with two double, four RBIs, and five runs scored for New Hope (5-1).
Boyd said Jones can play second or third base and shortstop and in the outfield. He feels Jones will be a good fit in the outfield at the next level.
“You rarely see that outfielder who is a true outfielder like Tyler that can come in and field a ground ball and has a short-arm motion and gets rid of it in enough time,” Boyd said. “I think that was a big deal for college coaches that they can sign a true athlete and wherever they need a spot filled they can put Tyler and know they will be successful.”
Jones said the Mississippi Delta coaches contacted him again in late January after he re-took ACT, a standardized test used by colleges to gauge the aptitude of potential students, and improved his score. He said Boyd kept the Mississippi Delta C.C. coached updated on his progress, which led to him receiving an invitation to visit the school’s campus last week. He said he enjoyed the campus and was eager to accept the opportunity to realize the next step in his baseball career.
“Last year, I wasn’t seeing the ball as well,” Jones said. “This year, I am and it is making my at-bats way easier.”
Jones said the hard work he has put in at practice and the encouragement of his teammates has helped him work out of what he called a “bad slump.” This season, he said he is working hard to learn from his experiences and be a leader on the team. He hopes the example he set in overcoming his struggles to realize his goal will help motivate the younger players.
“Last year around this time I was really starting to think I wouldn’t play ball after high school,” Jones said. “My mom (Tamika) talked to me every day and tole me to keep working. I really listened to her and I kept working. God blessed me with this scholarship so I can play ball for two more years.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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