It doesn’t matter to TCU center fielder Cody Jones where he bats in the lineup, but he knows he can help the team the most if he’s doing his job in the leadoff spot.
That wasn’t the case on Sunday against Cal State Fullerton, when coach Jim Schlossnagle moved Jones, a sophomore transfer from Temple College, to ninth in the order. Jones was struggling to get on base through the first five games, and Schlossnagle wanted to give him a chance to find his swing out of the glare of being the leadoff hitter.It worked. Jones had better at-bats and was leading off against Dallas Baptist on Tuesday. Jones responded with three hits, doubling his season total. Twice he reached on infield hits, including a bunt, using his speed.“It did kind of wake me up and push me to do what I need to do to hit leadoff because that’s where I know I can help the team the most,” Jones said.Tuesday’s win allowed TCU (1-6) to take a slightly lower-pressure trip to Florida for a three-game series at Jacksonville (3-5), beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday.“There’s a lot to be said about being away,” Schlossnagle said. “There’s so much on the line all the time, so it’s nice when your only focus is getting ready to play the game and spending time with your teammates.”Sort of like Jones’ one-game stint in the nine hole.“The player we need him to be is the player you saw [Tuesday] night,” Schlossnagle said. “A guy who can hit a little bit, who just needs to put the ball in play. With two strikes, just get the ball on the ground. It wasn’t a great bunt, but it was far enough away from anybody that you’re not going to throw him out. That’s the guy we need. It really sets up our offense.”Jones has yet to attempt a steal, but if he continues to reach base, it’s only a matter of time before he really becomes the player TCU thinks he can be.“My job is to get on base and make the pitcher think about me,” he said. “If he’s thinking about me, there’s no shot he has against the middle of our order. If he’s thinking about me, I’m doing my job and we’re going to score.”Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760 Twitter: @FollowtheFrogs
