Billy Jones doesn’t want his baseball career to end in college.
That wouldn’t be enough for the 2022 Andrean graduate.
“I have big aspirations for myself,” Jones said. “I have big goals, and I want to chase those goals.”
That pursuit of professional baseball explains why Jones is in the transfer portal after spending two years at Purdue Northwest. He hopes playing for the Lake County Corn Dogs this summer will help him determine where he goes for the next chapter of his career.
Jones is flourishing with Lake County (27-8-1). His .358 batting average ranks third on the team, and he leads the Corn Dogs with 28 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and a .532 on-base percentage. He also has four doubles, a triple and two home runs.
Jones hit his second homer during the Corn Dogs’ 11-4 win against the WDS Thunder in a Crestwood Collegiate League game in Crown Point on Saturday, displaying the positive approach he has adopted this summer.
“Things have been going pretty good,” he said. “I’ll hit a little divot sometimes, but that happens. I struck out to start, but at the end of the day, I still hit a home run. It’s stuff like that — just not getting in my head and taking my swing.”
Corn Dogs manager Justin Huisman said Jones has also shown off his versatility, adding stints at infield positions while working on a solid, steady approach at the plate.
“He does everything well,” Huisman said. “This summer, we’re trying to get him to be more consistent and do everything great. There’s no doubt that he’s a good hitter. It’s just making sure that he’s swinging at the right pitches and keeping a consistent swing on the ball.”
Huisman’s words sounded similar to Jones’ description of his strategy.
“Coming out here, I wasn’t really concerned about my base running or bunting,” Jones said. “I really wanted to focus on going gap to gap, staying inside the ball and driving it the opposite way.”
Jones still has three years of college eligibility remaining after redshirting his first year at PNW. He began this past season as a rotation player but ended up making 34 starts and hitting .242. He said the overall fit at PNW wasn’t to his liking, which is why he’s seeking another program.
“I didn’t get all of the opportunities that I wanted, but when I did get them, I definitely capitalized on them,” he said. “I still didn’t do as well as I wanted, but that’s just me being a competitive player.”
Jones, who won two state titles in baseball and one in football at Andrean, has always been like that, according to Lake County catcher Colin Horneman. They were teammates much earlier in their careers.
“Ever since we were younger, he’s always talked about wanting to play professional baseball, and he’s always had that drive to get better so he can make it to the next level everywhere he’s played,” Horneman said.
Jones knows time is short to decide where he will play next, with most colleges starting classes in August. He said he has been focusing on the finer points of the game to ensure he’s ready to play no matter where he ends up.
“Now’s the time,” he said. “I’ll be going into college ball soon, so I need to sharpen up on the fundamentals, like bunting and base running, and making sure I’m doing everything at a high level.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
