Catching Up with Baseball Alumnus Jeff Jones
“Big Red” can’t wait to be back at South Carolina. Former Gamecock first baseman Jeff Jones will travel from Texas back to Columbia this November as he and members of the 2010 and 2011 College World Series Champion baseball teams will be inducted into the University of South Carolina Association of Lettermen’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
“That’s really special, and I did a little research as saw that Steve Spurrier was being inducted at the same time. That’s pretty cool!” said Jones, who played for the Gamecocks in 2009 and 2010 after transferring from Navarro Junior College in his home state. “Whenever I went on the visit to see South Carolina, the new stadium (Founders Park) was still being built. It was a great opportunity to play in the SEC and be a part of baseball program that was one of the top programs in the country. South Carolina has a great fan base. They’re very passionate about baseball at South Carolina. It’s very important.”
While he split time with future Major Leaguer Christian Walker at first base, Jones made a big impact at different times in the season. He batted .300 with eight home runs and 29 RBI as a senior during South Carolina’s first College World Series Championship in 2010. He started the season by hitting three home runs and a double with 10 RBI in a three-game series with Duquesne on opening weekend and bookended the season by drawing a key pinch-hit two out walk in the 3-2 win in 12 innings over Oklahoma at the College World Series.
“I just loved hanging out in the locker room with the guys,” Jones recalled of his time with the Gamecocks. “Traveling to all the other schools and seeing their facilities was great. Being part of the SEC was pretty cool. Growing up in Texas, all I knew at the time was the Big 12. Going to football games was fun, too.”
“We’ll meet up and have get-togethers, and there are always places to watch Carolina games together. I was surprised at first with how many people are involved with the Gamecock Club here.”
Jones has stayed connected with his alma mater through the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Gamecock Club.
“We’ll meet up and have get-togethers, and there are always places to watch Carolina games together,” Jones said. “I was surprised at first with how many people are involved with the Gamecock Club here. I think there are more than one hundred members at these events.”
The Fort Worth, Texas, native is back living in his hometown after starting his post-baseball career in the oil and gas business in Pittsburgh, leasing oil and gas rights, which involved a lot of travel. Now, he and his brother, Alan, own a printing company where he has gone from looking for signs to producing them.
“I moved back to Texas a couple years after graduating, and I’ve owned the printing company, Fort Worth Hightech Signs Company, with my brother for almost 11 years,” Jones said. “We’re a large format printing company. We specialize in commercial real estate, residential real estate, as well as different events and political signs.”
Transitioning from being a student-athlete to doing something off the field isn’t always an easy transition, but Jones found his way quickly.
“At first, you’re kind of like, what in the world do I do now?” Jones said. “Being on a baseball team that’s really good is exciting, and there’s a lot of hoopla around it. You feel sort of like a celebrity, and it can feel like a step down when you’re not in the spotlight all the time, but I ended up getting a job right away. I still keep up with how the team is doing and still watch all the football games.”
Jones and his wife Shannon have two children, Nolan (7) and Lana (5).
