2015 Men’s Baseball Men’s Baseball Team 2015 Front row: Athletic Trainer J.D. Douglas, Tyler Martin, Kyle Hann, Assistant Coach Will Coggin, Head Coach Ross Jones, Assistant Coach Mike Renner, Myles Straw, Cletis Avery, Nico Torino 2nd Row: Nick Agosto, Omar Villaman, Tyler Carr, Johnny Blue-Craig, Hunter Alexander, Wes Weeks, Trae Ratliff, Collin Morrill, Marcelo Parker-Hernandez, Dalton Whitaker Back Row: Alec Dowell, Kyle Kalbaugh, Matthew Rhodes, Andy Toelken, Nate Lowe, Hunter Jones, Harlan Harris, Dustin Hersey, Daniel Williams, Connor Durden Standing Left, Assistant Coach Mike Renner Kneeling, Head Coach Ross Jones Standing Right, Assistant Coach Will Coggin St. Johns River State College • Baseball 2015 2015 Roster No. Name Year Pos. B / T Height Wt. Hometown H.S. / Grad. Yr. 2 Wes Weeks FR OF R / R 6’1” 170 Green Cove Springs Clay / 2014 3 Nick Agosto FR INF L / R 5’10” 190 Port Charlotte Charlotte / 2014 5 Kyle Hann SO INF R / R 5’7” 175 Toronto, Canada Hillfield Strathallen / 2012 6 Cletis Avery SO INF R / R 5’9” 180 Snellville, GA Shiloh HS / 2013 7 Harlan Harris FR C L / R 6’3” 195 Tallahassee Chiles / 2014 8 Nico Torino FR INF R / R 5’9” 160 Ocala North Marion / 2014 9 Trae Ratliff SO P R / R 6’0” 200 Brooksville Hernando / 2013 10 Matthew Rhodes FR INF/P R / R 6’2” 190 Fayetteville, GA Whitewater / 2014 11 Johnny Blue-Craig SO OF R / R 6’1” 190 Tallahassee Leon / 2012 12 Myles Straw SO OF/P R / R 5’10” 175 Bradenton Braden River / 2013 13 Collin Morrill FR INF L / R 6’1” 175 Jacksonville Bishop Kenny / 2014 15 Hunter Jones FR P R / R 6’5” 240 Hawthorne Palatka / 2013 16 Tyler Carr FR P R / R 5’10” 165 Lake Placid Lake Placid / 2014 17 Tyler Martin FR C R /R 6’ 220 Acworth, Ga. North Cobb / 2014 18 Dalton Whitaker FR P R / R 5’11” 185 St. Johns Bartram Trail / 2014 19 Dustin Hersey SO P R / R 6’1” 190 Lake Butler Union County / 2013 20 Alec Dowell FR OF R / R 6’2” 195 Coral Springs Douglas / 2012 21 Omar Villaman SO INF L / R 5’9” 170 Kissimmee Harmony / 2013 22 Andy Toelken FR P/1B S / R 6’2” 185 Green Cove Springs Clay / 2014 23 Hunter Alexander FR INF/C R/R 6'1" 215 Green Cove Springs Clay / 2014 25 Daniel Williams FR P R / R 6’0” 195 Keystone Heights Nease / 2013 Marcelo Parker – Nuevo Cuscatlan, El 26 SO P R / R 6’0” 185 San Francisco / 2011 Hernandez Salvador 27 Kyle Kalbaugh SO P L / L 6’3” 155 Reddick North Marion / 2013 30 Nate Lowe SO 1B/P L / R 6’3” 235 Marietta Pope / 2013 35 Alec Hayes FR P R / R 6’4” 195 Anthony North Marion / 2013 44 Connor Durden FR C L / R 6’0" 220 Jacksonville Sandalwood / 2014 Staff 37 Head Coach / Athletic Director Ross Jones 29 Assistant Coach Will Coggin 31 Assistant Coach Mike Renner Athletic Trainer J.D. Douglas Go Vikings! St. Johns River State College • Baseball 2015 1 Coaching Staff Athletic Director/Head Baseball Coach Ross Jones Ross Jones joined the St. Johns River State College staff as ner. He also won the Bill Tuten the head baseball coach on June 10, 2008 and assumed the posi- Award as the most outstanding tion of athletic director on June 1, 2009. In his six seasons at SJR Student-Athlete of the Year in State, Jones has accumulated an overall record of 184-124 and a the FCSAA. Jose Hernandez was Mid-Florida Conference record of 85-58. These six seasons have named 2014 NJCAA Academic been among the program’s most successful in its 54 year histo- All-American Exemplary Award ry and include two Mid-Florida Conference Championships (2013 winner. and 2014) and three trips to the FCSAA State / NJCAA Region 8 Jones began his coaching Tournament (2010, 2013 and 2014). career as an assistant to Dusty During Jones’ first season at the helm, he led the Viking Rhodes at the University of baseball team to a 33-17 record and a fourth place finish in the North Florida, where he spent Mid-Florida Conference. The 2010 season saw the Viking baseball a total of three seasons in two team return to the FCSAA/Region 8 State Tournament for the first separate stints (1993 and 2000- time since 1989 after finishing second in the Mid-Florida Confer- 2001). He spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt ence, and in 2013, the Vikings won their first Mid-Florida Confer- University (1994-1999), where he served as the pitching coach and ence Championship since 1977. The 2013 team had an overall re- recruiting coordinator. Jones also spent six seasons as the pitching cord of 38-18 and an 18-6 conference record. The 38 wins broke coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida un- the previous school record of 33 wins in a season by the 2009 der Head Coach Pat McMahon. As a recruiting coordinator at Van- team. The 18 conference wins broke the record of 15 previously derbilt and Florida, Jones helped sign some of the most talented held by the 1968 and 1970 teams. players, not only in Florida, but also across the nation. Seven of his Sixty-eight of Jones’ players have transferred to four year recruiting classes were ranked in the top 25 nationally, with three colleges after finishing their eligibility at SJR State. Of these, 57 in the top 10. His 2003 and 2005 recruiting classes at the Univer- signed baseball scholarships. NCAA Division 1 schools that have sity of Florida were both ranked number three in the nation by signed players from SJR State include Florida State, the University Collegiate Baseball magazine. As a pitching coach, Jones tutored of North Florida, the University of South Florida, Tulane, the Uni- 54 pitchers who have gone on to sign professional contracts, in- versity of Virginia, Western Kentucky, Southern Alabama, Georgia cluding Clinton Johnston, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ number one draft Southern, Mercer, Liberty, Villanova, Hofstra, Nichols State and pick in 1998. Also, eight of Jones’ pitchers have received All-Amer- Tennessee-Martin. NCAA Division 2 schools that have signed SJR ican honors, including Todd Ewasko, the NCAA Division 2 National State players include national powers Tampa, Florida Southern, Pitcher of the Year in 2001, and Justin Hoyman, the Southeastern Valdosta State and West Florida. Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2004. While Jones was coaching Many of Jones’ players have also earned postseason awards. at the University of North Florida in 2000 and 2001, the Ospreys Third baseman Tyler Humphreys was named the Mid-Florida Con- won consecutive Peach Belt Conference crowns and appeared in ference Player of the Year, FCSAA First Team All-State and NJCAA back-to-back NCAA Division 2 College World Series. UNF finished Third Team All-American in 2014. Humphreys was drafted in the third in the nation both years. Jones also played a major role in 7th round of the 2014 MLB First Year Player Draft and signed a the University of Florida’s 2005 Southeastern Conference cham- professional contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2013, pionship and the Gators’ postseason run to the NCAA Division Shortstop Casey Eddinger was named the Mid-Florida Conference 1 College World Series, where the Gators played in the National Defensive Player of the Year and Catcher Blake Swann was named Championship Series against the University of Texas. to the FCSAA First Team All-State Team. Jones is a 1984 graduate of Palatka High School. Upon grad- Pitchers Marshall Stalvey (2009), Chris Fern (2011) and uating from high school, he was selected by the Texas Rangers in Mitchell Cody (2014) were all named First Team All-State players. the 1984 Major League Baseball amateur draft. He spent seven Stalvey and Cody were also named Mid-Florida Conference Pitch- seasons pitching for the Rangers and Montreal Expos minor league ers of the Year, and Fern was named the Mid-Florida Conference systems. After retiring from professional baseball, Jones earned and the FCSAA Fireman of the Year. Fern is the single season and his A.A. degree from SJR State in 1991 and his bachelor’s degree career saves leader at SJR State and signed to play at the University in education from the University of North Florida in 1993. Jones is of Virginia before being drafted by the San Francisco Giants. an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting and fishing in his spare Two players during Jones’ time leading the Vikings have been time. Ross and his wife, Tish, have two sons, Tyler (23) and Hunter chosen as NJCAA Academic All-Americans. Pitcher Matt Penning- (20), and two daughters, Taylor (17) and Tessa (15). ton was named a 2013 NJCAA All-American Pinnacle Award win- 2 St. Johns River State College • Baseball 2015 Athletic Staff Assistant Athletic Director John Theobold After graduating from the University of North Florida in 1974, John Theobold taught science and coached football, baseball and track at Orange Park High School until 1976, when he returned to Putnam County and taught math for 13 years, also coaching football for six and baseball for two of those years. In 1989, Theobold became the assistant principal for Interlachen High School, a position he held for eight years before transferring to W.H. Beasley Middle School, where he served as principal until the year 2000. Theobold served as the director of human resources for the Putnam County School District from 2000 - 2006, the Area Director and Chief Negotiator from 2004 - 2009.