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18SS
THREE RIVERS EDITION/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE DIAMOND ROUNDUP
SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020
Jimmy D Youngman, Jr.
Youngman’s
Collision Center & Auto Sales
555 Hwy. 64 East • P.O. Box 738 Bald Knob, Arkansas 72010 Phone: 501-724-3244
Fax: 501-724-3008 | Cell: 501-940-3995
JONES continued from 16SS
Jones played football, basketball and baseball as a freshman, then gave up football and basket- ball as a sophomore but played basketball again as a junior.
After his stellar baseball season, he opted not to play basketball as a senior and instead played fall baseball leading up to his senior year. As a result, more college offers rolled in.
Jones chose the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain — a two-year program in Mena. The school started its baseball program this season and hired legendary Horatio High School coach Lance Spigner to lead the team. Spigner, a for- mer University of Central Arkansas player, led Horatio to five state championships, including his final one in 2016.
“Once I visited [Rich Mountain], it wasn’t a hard decision at all,” Jones said. “Coach Spigner is a great guy. When people found out I got an offer from there, they said I would be dumb not to go there and play for him. It didn’t matter where I went. People knew who he was and told me he would get me ready for the next level.”
Jones hopes Spigner’s tutelage will ready him for a D-I baseball career.
“I think [Jones] flies under the radar because there hasn’t been a whole lot of history here in the past, but he is one of the pieces that are changing how we are looked at,” Cooper said. “He has been working in the summers and hasn’t played until this year, so he’s flown un- der the radar. I think Coach Spigner got a steal.
“[Jones] is so big and athletic, and he’s gotten so much better. When I saw him, I knew he was going to be good, and he’s just kept working at it. I think the sky’s the limit with the ability he has, and as good as he is between the ears as well.”
With his letter of intent signed, Jones can concentrate on helping make history his senior season. With a large group of returning starters, the Ramblers are poised to land in the state tour- nament and make a run after finishing 22-9 as district runner-up and regular-season conference champion.
“Our goal is to go to the state tournament,” he said. “Everybody’s dream is to win the whole shindig. We’ve had more guys working in [the offseason program]. Last year, we only had five guys in the offseason. This year, we had 11 or 12 and doubled the group. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but for Rose Bud, it is.
AUGUSTA BASEBALL
APRIL 2 ............................ @ABUNDANT LIFE* APRIL 3 ......................................@MIDLAND* APRIL 6 ............................... ABUNDANT LIFE* APRIL 9 ......................................... LR ESTEM APRIL 13 ...................................... MIDLAND* APRIL 16 ................................... @BRINKLEY* APRIL 20 ................................. @BRADFORD* APRIL 21 .................................... CLARENDON APRIL 23 .................................... BRADFORD*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
HEBER SPRINGS SOFTBALL
APRIL 3 ........................................... DOVER* APRIL 6 ................................. JACKSONVILLE APRIL 7 ................................. @POTTSVILLE* APRIL 13 ................................. CEDAR RIDGE APRIL 14 ............................. @DARDANELLE* APRIL 16 .............................. @CALICO ROCK APRIL 20 ................................... @CAVE CITY APRIL 21 ............................... @MORRILTON* APRIL 23 ................................ @MAYFLOWER
STACI VANDAGRIFF/THREE RIVERS EDITION
Rose Bud’s Dugan Jones, a senior third baseman/ pitcher, led the state with 8 home runs last year, while hitting .463 with 36 RBIs. He also finished 7-1 on the mound and struck out 104 batters with a 2.46 ERA.
“This year is the first year in three years that we’ve had 20 players. We are pretty-good-sized. We went from 14 to 22. Everybody’s gotten stron- ger and more confident. We just can’t wait till the season starts. We are ready to see how the hard work pays off.”
AUGUSTA SOFTBALL
APRIL 2 ............................ @ABUNDANT LIFE* APRIL 3 .......................................... MIDLAND APRIL 6 ............................... ABUNDANT LIFE* APRIL 9 ......................................... LR ESTEM APRIL 13 ...................................... MIDLAND* APRIL 16 ..................................... BRINKLEY* APRIL 20 ................................. @BRADFORD*
(501) 362-3023 • Tumbling Shoals, AR lacyheatandair.com
APRIL 21 APRIL 23
.................................... CLARENDON .................................... BRADFORD* *DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
HEBER SPRINGS BASEBALL
APRIL 3 ........................................... DOVER* APRIL 6 ....................................... @QUITMAN APRIL 7 ................................. @POTTSVILLE* APRIL 9 ........................................... OZARK* APRIL 14 ............................. @DARDANELLE* APRIL 17 ...................... SUBIACO ACADEMY* APRIL 21 ............................... @MORRILTON* APRIL 23 ..................................... @CLINTON APRIL 24 ............................... CLARKSVILLE*
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