Role Player: Jones Ready To Help Pitching Staff Any Way Possible
October 30, 2015 | Baseball
By Siobhan Bauer
As a transfer from a small-town junior college tucked away in Northern California to the bustling Emerald City, Husky senior Spencer Jones smoothly adjusted to life on Montlake last year. The pitcher made a swift impact for the Huskies through his first season, and is looking toward this year to build upon his past success and continue to improve his game.
Jones joined the roster at the start of last season as a junior college transfer out of Mendocino Community College in California. Upon signing in 2013, head coach Lindsay Meggs declared Jones "may be the wild card in this whole deal.”
When he got to Seattle, Jones lost no time finding where he would fit best into the program and showing that his skills were ready for this level of baseball.
"I honestly had no idea what my role would be last year,” remembered Jones. “I talked to Jason [Kelly, pitching coach] right before the season started last year and he said 'I don't even know what your role is this year - you'll be a huge part, but we don't know yet.'”
The 6-foot-5 right-hander settled into a role as reliever and was instrumental for the Dawgs last season, tossing 65 1/3 innings in 30 appearances. He also ended up making one start.
Along with Troy Rallings and Brandon Choate, Jones formed the core of the Huskies' bullpen. He finished with a 4-6 record and a 2.89 ERA. He tied for second on the team with three saves and 58 strikeouts on the season. To cap his strong first year, Jones did not allow a single run in his final five games, pitching 12 innings, with nine strikeouts and allowing just seven hits.
Jones strong season also earned him a spot in the Husky record book. His 30 appearances put him 9th overall for outings in a season and he is just one-of-eleven Husky pitchers to take the mound at least 30 times. Choate, who pitched 34 times last year, set the all-time record.
“My role ended up developing and I had a pretty good year. Hopefully it builds on and I have another good year this year.”
Jones pitched enough innings during the spring so he was able to spend his summer training and taking classes instead of playing summer ball like many of his teammates.
“I put in a lot of hard work this summer with Dave Rak the strength and conditioning coach, and so hopefully that pays off,” said Jones.
“Being a returner I kind of know what it takes to be successful in a year, and so I tried to do as much as I could this offseason to prepare myself for the season. Last year I didn't really know what to prepare for, but now I know what to prepare for so I'll be a lot better off.”
Jones' experiences from last season have not only contributed to improvement in his game but they are showing to be valuable off the field as well. With a 2015-16 roster heavily weighted with newcomers, Jones has recognized how he can use his experiences as a transfer last year to be a mentor for many of the players on this year's roster.
"I'm fresh off being a new guy, so I try and just help the new guys out with any of the questions or struggles that I had last year. I don't know if I see myself as a leader, but I just try to help them get comfortable here, because I know that they can help us this year. "
One of the biggest hurdles for Jones last year was the fear of the unknown, and he looks to share with the rookies how he worked through it.
“Being the new guy, you don't know what it is going to be like - you've never pitched at this level, so I am just trying to teach them some stuff that helped me get through that fear, which will hopefully help them be successful this year” explained Jones.
With so many fresh faces and a host of talented returners, the Huskies have taken to the field this fall with plenty of excitement and intrigue about what this new squad will produce come opening day. With fall practice coming to a close, Jones has seen a lot of clues as to how this team will work together.
“These new guys, you can tell that they all want to get better, want to be out there, want to lift, want to go to practice and want to soak up as much information as they can,” said Jones. “There is a lot of competition now, so you can tell that no one is lackadaisical because none of the returners have a job and everyone is working for something.
“I like the atmosphere. I think we have a lot of talent and I'm pretty excited about the team we have so far.”
Fall practice culminates with the traditional Purple and Gold World Series this weekend, and Jones is excited to get outside and play some games.
“It is fun to get out there and play with each other,” said Jones. “It is more than just inter-squad, more of a bigger deal and definitely kind of a pride thing.”
In regards to what role Jones sees himself filling, whether as a starter or out of the bullpen, he has no idea. He is just going to do whatever is best for the team.
“I have trust that Coach Kelly and Coach Meggs will make the right decision to what will help the team the most.”
