State Fair Community College (SFCC) sophomore infielder Gavin Jones of Sedalia, Missouri saw a lifelong dream come true on Wednesday, June 5 when he was selected in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics. In the process, he became the first SFCC baseball player drafted since the resumption of the program.
"When I got a phone call earlier today, I got pretty excited," said Jones. "Then it became pretty stressful, but overall it has been a pretty awesome day. I've been playing baseball for as long as I can remember. It's been a great time and I have loved every second of it. I really appreciate all the coaches who have helped me out and all the friendships I've made because of baseball. It's a dream come true."
Jones recently wrapped up a stellar sophomore campaign at SFCC. He was named to the First-Team All-Region 16 as an infielder. He was also selected as a member of the Region 16 Baseball All-Defensive Team at shortstop. He was also named to the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference All-Conference Team. Jones also helped his team to the Region 16 Division I Baseball Tournament Championship round.
Jones led the team in slugging percentage (.602), home runs (12), hits (54), runs scored (43) and RBI (50). He led SFCC with 100 total bases and 21 extra-base hits. Jones finished second on the team with a .325 batting and 10 stolen bases.
"State Fair means a lot to me," said Jones. "I went there with hopes of helping to build the program. I really appreciate everything State Fair Community College has done for me, including all of my teachers, Coach Kindle, and all the other coaches who helped me throughout this process."
Coach Kindle is proud of what Jones has accomplished.
"Gavin has worked his tail off," said Kindle. "He definitely deserves a chance to go live his dream and play professional baseball. I think he is more of a corner infielder at the professional level, but catching might also be an area that they can pursue. I am just extremely proud to have coached him."
David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics