Bio

Record at SJR State entering 2022: 451-268
NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA State Tournament Appearances: 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022
        
MFC Championships:
2013, 2014, 2015
 
Mid-Florida Conference
Runner-Up: 2010, 2016, 2017, 2022
 
         Ross Jones joined the St. Johns River State College coaching staff as the head baseball coach on June 10, 2008 and assumed the position of athletic director on June 1, 2009. After twelve seasons at SJR State, Jones has an overall record of 451-268 (.627) and a Mid-Florida Conference record of 199-118 (.628). These 14 seasons have been among the program’s most successful in its 62-year history and include three consecutive Mid-Florida Conference Championships and seven trips to the FCSAA State/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament.

         During Jones’ first season at the helm, he led the Vikings to a 33-17 record and a fourth-place finish in the Mid-Florida Conference. In 2010, the Vikings returned to the FCSAA State/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament for the first time since 1989 after finishing second in the Mid-Florida Conference. In 2013, the Vikings won their first Mid-Florida Conference Championship since 1977, followed by a second consecutive Mid-Florida Conference Championship in 2014 with an overall record of 37-14 and a 20-4 conference record.

         2015 was a special season! The Vikings enjoyed the best sea-son in school history, finishing 47-10 overall 19-4 in the Mid-Florida Conference. The 47 wins smashed the former school record of 38 wins in a season. The Vikings captured their third straight Mid-Flor-ida Conference Championship and finished third at the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament. On March 18, the Vikings also climbed to the top of the NJCAA National Baseball Poll, ranking #1 in the country for the first time in school history.

         2016 was another outstanding season as the Vikings posted an overall record of 42-14. In the Mid-Florida Conference, the Vikings posted a 16-7 record to finish in second place. The Vikings also made their fourth consecutive trip to the NJCAA Region 
8/FCSAA State Tournament, finishing 5th in the 10 team field. In 2017, the Vikings posted a 37-18 overall record and a 19-5 record in the Mid-Florida Conference. Their 19-5 record in the MFC tied for the best record in conference play.

         Jones began his coaching career as an assistant to Dusty Rhodes at the University of North Florida, where he spent a total of three seasons in two separate stints (1993 and 2000-2001). He spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University (1994-1999), serving as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. Jones also spent six seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida under Head Coach Pat McMahon. As a recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt and Florida, Jones helped sign some of the most talented players, not only in Florida, but across the nation. Seven of his recruiting classes were ranked in the top 25 nationally, with three in the top 10. His 2003 and 2005 recruiting classes at the University of Florida were both ranked number three in the nation by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

         As a pitching coach, Jones has tutored 79 pitchers who have gone on to sign professional con-tracts, including Clinton Johnston, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ number one draft pick in 1998. Also, nine of Jones’ pitchers have received All-American honors, including Todd Ewasko, the NCAA Division 2 National Pitcher of the Year in 2001, and Justin Hoyman, the Southeast-ern Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2004. While Jones was coaching at the University of North Florida in 2000 and 2001, the Ospreys won consecutive Peach Belt Conference crowns and appeared in back-to-back NCAA Division 2 College World Series. UNF finished third in the nation both years. Jones also played a major role in the University of Florida’s 2005 Southeast-ern Conference championship and the Gators’ postseason run to the NCAA Division 1 College World Series, where the Gators played in the National Championship Series against the University of Texas.

            Jones is a 1984 graduate of Palatka High School and was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 1984 Major League Baseball amateur draft. He spent seven seasons pitching for the Texas Rangers and Montreal Expos minor league systems. After retiring from professional baseball, Jones earned his A.A. degree from SJR State in 1991 and his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of North Florida in 1993. Jones is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting and fishing in his spare time. Ross and his wife, Tish, have two sons, Tyler and Hunter, and two daughters, Taylor and Tessa.