We are two days away from Arkansas baseball, and HawgBeat is continuing its annual lineup preview series for the 2024 Diamond Hogs.
With scrimmage coverage, analysis, interviews, previews, the Diamond Hawgs Podcast and more, HawgBeat provides the best Arkansas baseball coverage around.
We continue things with the eight-hole spot in the lineup, which left fielder Jayson Jones is projected to fill...
#13 - Jayson Jones - LF
So. | R/R | 6-2 | 215
Savannah, Texas / Braswell HS
2023 stats: 20 GP, .196/.403/.370, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 14 BB/15 K, 2 SB
The ceiling for sophomore slugger Jayson Jones is very high, but head coach Dave Van Horn said it's going to take some effort to lock in mentally this season.
"He’s ready to go as far as all the outside noise, all the worries," Van Horn said Jan. 25. "We’ve had some really good conversations in my office here and there. Coach (Nate) Thompson had good talks with him as well. Time to play. Have fun. Enjoy it. Enjoy the game. Enjoy being on a team.
"Because when you do that, I think it starts to flow for you. Everybody pulls for each other and that’s what I want. I want Jayson not to worry about any of the other things. Just play baseball. Don’t worry about what somebody down south is saying or this guy is saying, it’s time to just play baseball and enjoy it, and that’s probably the best way I can put it."
Jones came to Arkansas via Braswell High School in Aubrey, Texas, where he was rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the state of Texas in the 2022 class by Perfect Game. Baseball America listed Jones as the eighth-best high school MLB Draft prospect for the 2022 class.
The freshman season was up and down for Jones, who hit with a .196 average across 46 at bats. He appeared in 20 games and started 13 for the Diamond Hogs in 2023.
Jones has played at third, first, shortstop, left field and he's been a designated hitter. Entering the 2024 season, he's likely going to be the Opening Day starter in left field.
"Late fall and in the drill work, he’s been working out there like 80% of his time," Van Horn said Jan. 25. "A little bit at third. If the bat gets going, it could really help us. A lot of the times in left field, whether it’s in summer ball, Division I baseball or the Big Leagues, it’s about swinging the bat and being a good defender. You don’t have to be overly special out there if you can hit enough. So that’s up in the air with him and (Will) Edmunson and maybe (Ross) Lovich."
Edmunson is a JUCO transfer from Hutchinson Community College, while Lovich joined the program as a transfer from Missouri over the offseason. Left field is one of the only positions that doesn't feel 100% solid, but it seems to be Jones' job to lose.
"Left field is still a battle but if we could get Jones to swing it like he does in batting practice — because he hits the ball harder day-in, day-out, every swing is recorded and it’s pretty amazing," Van Horn said Feb. 5.
Arkansas will host James Madison at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday for Opening Day. The first game of the season is set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch and it will be streamed on the SEC Network+.
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