SNOHOMISH – On a grand stage, against a prolific, seemingly unstoppable opponent, Derek Jones came up with the best pitching effort of his life.
Nice timing.
The Snohomish High School junior had plenty of notable performances this season. Undoubtedly, the best one came May 25. In his final pitching appearance of the year, the left-hander absolutely shut down the top-ranked Tahoma Bears in the Class 4A baseball state semifinals at Safeco Field.
Jones tossed a sparkling four-hit shutout against a potent Tahoma lineup that entered the contest averaging nearly 11 runs per game. He smacked a pivotal two-run double in the top of the first inning and needed just 81 pitches to eliminate the heavily favored Bears.
“Derek and all the kids were in awe of Safeco Field, as was everybody else,” Snohomish coach Kim Hammons said. “He knew going in there that they had a loaded lineup. He just mentally prepared himself to pitch seven innings.”
Jones’ clutch outing made Hammons recall a former Snohomish ace who now pitches for the Philadelphia Phillies.
“It ranks up there with the Adam Eaton’s of the world, pitching in a big game on center stage at Safeco Field,” said Hammons.
For a season in which his solid pitching and powerful, timely hitting helped carry a young Snohomish squad further than anyone predicted, Jones is The Herald’s 2007 All-Area Baseball Player of the Year.
“It’s a pretty big honor, especially (considering) I’m only a junior and I’ve got (one more) year to go,” said Jones, who also played center field and first base.
At the plate, Jones generated considerable power with his sturdy 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame. Sixteen of his 29 hits went for extra bases, including six home runs, a team high. On the mound, he had a 9-1 win-loss record, compiled a 1.77 earned-run average and struck out 64 batters in 63 innings.
Snohomish earned a share of the Wesco North championship and won the 4A Northwest District crown before placing second in the state behind Richland. It was an unexpected trek for a Panthers group that started just one senior (pitcher/infielder Nick Hammons) and four sophomores.
“We felt like we kind of had something to prove,” said Jones. “We were a young team and, coming in, we knew we were (good) but we didn’t know we’d go that far.”
Snohomish, which had a final record of 22-5, played nearly flawless defense for much of the postseason and got hitting contributions throughout its lineup.
“Me and Nick, we’d tried to carry this team on our backs. We thought we’d have to do that (all season), but everybody stepped up,” Jones said.
Jones, also a standout football player who plans to pursue baseball after high school, stepped up time after time when Snohomish needed a spark.
One defining moment came early in Snohomish’s 14-3 rout of Lake Stevens in the district title game. In the first inning, Jones smashed a mammoth three-run homer that rocketed well above the net beyond right field at Everett Memorial Stadium.
“That’s the (longest) ball that I’ve hit, by far. It kind of (set) the tone,” said Jones, whose blast generated comparisons to epic shots crushed by former Jackson slugger Travis Snider.
Said coach Hammons of Jones’ well-timed, high-impact hits, “He just hit some bombs this year in very, very clutch situations, and our team rallied around that. That just ignited us.”
Lake Stevens coach Rodger Anderson, whose team shared the North title with Snohomish, saw more than enough of Jones this spring. In an e-mail response, Anderson explained how Jones separated himself from the area’s pack of gifted players.
“He was the heart and soul of the best (high school) team around,” Anderson said. “His maturity is what kept a young team focused on the task at hand, whether he was on the mound, in the field, or at the plate.”
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