Jones talks about Virginia commitment

VirginiaPreps.com caught up with recent University of Virginia baseball

commit, Connor Jones.  We asked the Great Bridge standout why he picked the

Cavaliers.

"Virginia was my number one school from the start," Jones said, adding "I

really liked the size of the school, the education, and obviously the fantastic

baseball and pitching programs they have. When I got the offer from Virginia, I

did not feel it was necessary to continue looking at schools."

Jones also received interest from South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Only a sophomore, Jones has a lot of time ahead of him before he heads to

Charlottesville in the fall of 2013.  We asked him what the "strengths" of

his game are, and he responded "I feel that pitch movement and overall command

and poise are the strengths of my pitching." 

We also asked what he felt like he needed to improve upon, and Jones told us

"Obviously there are lots of physical aspects to the game that can always be

improved in the weight room. As far as pitching, continuing to become more

familiar with your own "stuff" is always crucial and knowing yourself and what

you do best. Lastly, refining my command for all my pitches is a goal of mine as

well."

After helping the lead the Wildcats to the AAA state title this spring, Jones

is taking very little time off from baseball.  When we caught up with him

he was returning to Chesapeake from an event at Wake Forest. During the summer

and fall he is playing for the prestigious Canes baseball program, on the North

2013 squad.

When asked if he would be "recruiting" any of his teammates to join him in

Charlottesville, Jones responded "Obviously I would love for some of my

teammates to join me at Virginia. I would love to continue playing with my third

basemen for the Canes and for Great Bridge rising sophomore Charlie Cody. He has

been fielding the hot corner for me ever since we were 10 years old, but my

fellow Canes and high school teammates need to find the right fit for

themselves."

With two seasons at Great Bridge remaining to be played before he enrolls in

college, Jones talked about his goals prior to college "A goal of mine for next

high school season would be to get back to the state tournament and win it all

again except this time under new coach Wildcats Coach Sean Townsend! That is

always the goal at the beginning of the season for all teams. For myself, I want

to keep developing as a young man as well as a force on the mound."

VirginiaPreps.com senior writer, who broke the Jones commitment story, wrote the following:

Great Bridge pitcher Connor Jones, who helped the Wildcats win the State AAA Baseball championship, has committed to play for the University of Virginia.

Although only a sophomore last year, Jones' resume was filled with big wins. He shutdown top-ranked and undefeated South County to help Great Bridge win the State championship and he won the State quarterfinal game against Lake Braddock. Jones was also the winning pitcher in the Eastern Region championship game over Nansemond River. Against South County, scattered six hits while allowing only two earned runs to give Great Bridge their first state championship since 2003.