On a plane, St. Rita’s Sir Jamison Jones learns he was drafted by Washington Nationals. ‘That was pretty cool.’

Sir Jamison Jones celebrated his dreams coming true in an unexpected place — on an airplane.

Jones, a catcher who graduated from St. Rita in the spring, was in the Dallas area for the MLB draft but had boarded a flight home to Chicago on Tuesday when he got a call from his agent alerting him that the Washington Nationals were about to select him in the 15th round.

“It was a very anxious flight,” Jones said. “Me, my mom and my dad were all very happy. We were watching the live stream to hear my name called, so that was pretty cool, and then they had the flight attendants announce it, so everyone was clapping on the plane.

“I definitely didn’t think it was going to happen like that, but I’m extremely happy with the way it played out.”

Jones was chosen with the 440th overall pick, making him the second Southland player from the 2024 class to get drafted.

Lincoln-Way East’s Tyler Bell was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 66th overall selection, during the competitive balance picks that followed the second round.

Jones has been committed to Oklahoma State but said Wednesday he planned to forego college and sign with the Nationals.

“I was telling my parents throughout this whole process that my dream was never to be a college baseball player,” he said. “My dream was to be a professional baseball player, and with the right opportunity, I was going to pursue professional baseball and get closer to being a big leaguer.

“I was given a good opportunity, so why not? I can get one step closer to my dream.”

Jones hit .385 with eight doubles, three triples, four homers and 38 RBIs this spring while playing for St. Rita coach John Nee.

“This is really exciting, and he deserves it all because he’s worked his butt off,” Nee said. “He’s been a weight room warrior. Everyone who sees me asks if he plays football.

“He was kind of a short, stocky, pudgier kid as an eighth grader, and by the time he was a sophomore, we were like, ‘Oh my God, what happened here?’”

Bell faces his own decision on whether to sign with the Rays or play at Kentucky.

Lincoln-Way East coach John McCarthy is confident he will succeed either way.

“It’s his work ethic that will get him far,” McCarthy said. “I remember after a game, him and his mom were hitting on the field. I think he had a tough day at the plate. I had something to do inside the building. I came back, and him and his mom were hitting live on the field.

“That blew me away. That speaks to who he is.”

McCarthy competed against Bell as Homewood-Flossmoor’s coach before taking over this spring for the Griffins.

“I saw him play from afar and I thought he was an incredible player who did a lot of things really, really well,” McCarthy said. “What I didn’t know was the type of person he is. He played through pain at the end of the year. He was one of our hardest workers.

“Just an incredible kid, day in and day out.”

Jones, meanwhile, was back at St. Rita a day after being drafted, helping with a youth camp as he waits for the next step.

“Probably at about 13 or 14 years old, I realized I could really do this baseball thing,” Jones said. “With all the hard work I put in, it became a reality. Slowly and surely, over the years, it started to materialize and now we’re here, waiting to see where and when I’ve got to report for pro ball.

“It’s pretty cool watching everything play out, and it’s really rewarding watching all the hard work pay off . But the work’s not over. The easy part is done, and now it’s time for the hard part.”