BIG HONOR: Jones named 8-4A pitcher of the year

Three others from Stephenville earn first-team recognition

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Easton Jones is 8-4A district pitcher of the year after posting 0.88 earned run average with 87 strikeouts as a junior this spring. || TheFlashToday.com photo by BRAD KEITH

By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com

STEPHENVILLE (June 1, 2017) — All-district recognition is always earned, not granted, by impressing the head coaches of one’s district opponents. And in a loaded baseball district like 8-4A, such honors are especially precious.

Especially at pitcher, with Godley alone having three members of their rotation committed to NCAA Division I schools.

But 8-4A MVP Brett Brown and the district champion Wildcats aren’t the only ones who can pitch. Stephenville’s staff was pretty good, too, with a cumulative earned run average of just 2.10, led by starters Easton Jones and Caleb Gibbons.

Jones was named 8-4A Pitcher of the Year on the all-district team released Thursday, a day after Godley, the last 8-4A team standing, was eliminated by Abilene Wylie in the Region I-4A finals in Wichita Falls.


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Jones registered 87 strikeouts and turned in a final ERA of 0.88, less than an earned run per ball game. Just one day earlier those numbers earned Jones his team’s outstanding pitcher award, when second-year head coach Justin Swenson and staff held an awards assembly at the SHS cafeteria.

As good as Jones was in district play, he was even better through the opening two rounds of the playoffs, leading Stephenville to game one wins on their way to sweeping best-of-three series against Kennedale in bi-district and Sweetwater in the area round. He struck out 12 in 5-2./3 innings of a 7-2 win over Kennedale, when both runs scored early and he recovered to silence the Wildcats for three consecutive innings as the Yellow Jackets pulled away. He tossed a complete game in a 10-5 win over Sweetwater and was actually better than the score would indicate. He allowed only two runs over the initial six innings, and Stephenville had provided more than enough run support and a 10-2 cushion before committing three errors and allowing three unearned runs in the seventh inning.

Jones is a de facto first-team selection with his superlative award, and the Jackets have three others on the first-team roster in Gibbons, a senior, short stop Derek Gifford, a sophomore, and utility standout Cody Storrs, a sophomore outfielder and catcher who led the team with a .390 batting average in the regular season before going 8-for-15 (.533) in the opening two rounds of the playoffs.

Stephenville landed outfielder Seth Heupel, who has committed to play for Wayland Baptist University in Lubbock, designated hitter Trevor Easter and pitcher Luke Bullard on the second-team roster, while outfielder Aaron Abila is an honorable-mention selection. Gifford, Easter and Abila all joined Storrs with batting averages above .300.

Stephenville finished fourth in the seven-team district, but proved to be playing its best ball when it mattered most. They Yellow Jackets closed its 8-4A schedule by beating Glen Rose, then shut out Dublin in a playoff warmup when six pitchers combined for a no hitter. The four straight playoff victories had the Jackets riding a six-game win streak before they circled back around to Godley and were swept out of the Region I-4A quarterfinals. It was the first time since 2014 for Stephenville to advance past the second round.

Swenson told his team at the awards presentation that with a loaded district including Godley, regional quarterfinalist Alvarado and upstart Midlothian Heritage ahead of Stephenville in the final standings, that all-district spots were tough to come by.

“Last year we were third and there were only five teams in our district, so we were able to get a lot of guys on there,” said Swenson. “This year, finishing fourth out of seven in a loaded district with some really good teams ahead of us, it was much more difficult. But for those of you who did make it, you should know getting on there in this district is a big honor.”

Stephenville finished the season 23-9-2, its best record in the four years since the UIL reduced schedules by three games. In addition to the playoff wins, Stephenville topped 7-4A district champ Kennedale in the regular season, as well, winning three times without a loss to the perennial power. Also among the most impressive wins by Stephenville were a 2-0 shutout at Heritage on a night when Jones was in top form, and a 6-3 non-district home victory over Iowa Park, where Justin Swenson was assistant coach under his older brother Michael Swenson. Together, the Swensons guided Iowa Park to the 2014 UIL Baseball State Tournament.

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