JONES, Darrick

JONES

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/30/2016 at 19:54:23

Darrick Jones, 2012
Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa

Baldur, Manitoba native Darrick Jones came to Graceland in 1999 and made an immediate splash as a freshman for the Yellowjacket baseball team.

A right-handed, slugging catcher, Jones was a staple of the Jacket lineup, playing in 160 games in four years in Lamoni. Darrick hit for power and average racking up a .388 batting average and .471 on-base percentage while slugging .647. The Canadian backstop maintained his power in all four years, belting six home runs in each season for a total of 24. Jones was a key run producer throughout his career at Graceland, knocking in 131 runners while scoring 75 himself.

Darrick made a splash almost immediately in the Graceland offense, hitting .384 his freshman year with six home runs and 34 runs batted in. Jones bookended his Jacket career with a monster senior year where he hit .409 with 15 doubles, 6 home runs and 48 RBIs in a season that saw him make the All-Region 5 team and pick up a fourth All-Conference honor as well as earning Second Team All-American honors.

Also a fine defender behind the plate, Jones finished his career with a .983 fielding percentage, recording 790 putouts and 140 assists.

Following his illustrious career with the Jackets, Jones returned home to Canada to join the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern Baseball League. After his time with the Goldeyes, Jones excelled with his hometown Baldur Regals, where he won consecutive provincial titles from 2008-2010 and a Western Canadian Senior Baseball Championship in 2009. Darrick himself was crowned Manitoba Senior Baseball Player of the Year in 2005 and 2009.

Not only was Jones a force on the field, he was also a standout student in the classroom. Darrick was a two-time academic All-American in 2001 and 2002 and he carried a strong GPA throughout his career.

In addition to his baseball exploits, Jones has worked in the grocery industry and maintained an active life in the community, becoming a pillar of his hometown of Baldur, Manitoba. Darrick married his wife Debbie in 2006, with whom he has two sons, Lachlan and Spencer.

Darrick Jones was inducted into Graceland's Yellowjacket Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

SOURCES: gujackets.com/f/Hall_of_Fame.php; gujackets.com/roster.php

Submission by Sharon R Becker, January of 2016