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What can’t Sa’Mya Jones do on the softball field?
The eighth grader from Texas is such a great all-around athlete, she can hit for power, for a high average, has track speed, can play the infield, outfield and even pitch (she throws in the low 60’s).
Playing for her father Steve Jone’s Texas Bombers 14U Gold team, she has had Power 5 programs nationally following her and even had a couple offers when she was in the 6th and 7th grades.
She checked out schools like Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Houston, Louisiana-Lafayette and others before the new recruiting rules took effect early in 2018.
The multi-sport athlete who has had success in track, volleyball and hoops, Sa’Mya has helped lead her club softball teams to national championships even though she’s typically been a year younger than her teammates.
Said one coach, “She is an absolutely amazing athlete with a skill set that far surpasses her age.”
Sa’Mya combines her physical tools with a strong desire to improve and play with passion, like one of her heroes, Washington Husky shortstop Sis Bates.
“I love how she goes all out on the field,” says the young Texan, “and I want to be like that.”
Sa’Mya is also an articulate writer who knows what she wants on and off the field… and she has a great role model in her father/coach who got a Harvard Law degree (how many softball coaches out there went to Harvard Law school?!?).
Here’s a closer look at the talented athlete, one of the top players in the Class of 2024…
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NAME: SA’MYA JONES
Hometown/State: Pearland, Texas
Grad Year: 2024
Position(s): SS/UT/RHP
Club Team: Texas Bombers Gold 14U-Jones 2023
Colleges visits (campus visits, camps, etc.): Unofficial visits or prospect camps at Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Louisiana-Lafayette, Texas and LSU among others.
Top Honors/Accomplishments: 2018 PGF All-Tournament Team; 2018 USA All American (shortstop); 2018 WFC National Champs; 2018 PGF Premier Runner Ups; District Champ in track last three years in 100M, 200M and 4x100M; 2nd highest Allister Index in OnDeck Jamboree (95.88); led team in batting this season (.515 batting average, 24 home runs, 1.002 slugging); highest batting average and RBIs last four year; honor roll last two years in school
Other Sports? Track, volleyball and basketball
Post-College Plans: Wants to be a veterinarian or a surgeon
Fun Fact: “Her first name was inspired by two things,” says her father, “My initials and my strong desire for a daughter! My wife Valerie and I had three boys ahead of her and we wanted a daughter; she was my last (successful) attempt at it and I wanted a daughter so bad that I was teased about how “exalted” she would be held by me if I had one! The Arabic meaning of ‘SaMya’ is exalted, lofty or elevated status. Her two older brothers immediately ahead of her have their dad’s initials (S.D.J.) so ‘Sa’Mya Danae Jones’ was chosen. Nothing behind the middle name other than her mom heard the name before and liked it and it had the required matching initial.”
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What would it mean to you to be considered as one of the top 100 players in your class?
It would mean a lot to me to be ranked in the top of my class. I take my play seriously and I work really hard to get better week in and week out. It would be one of the best rewards to show that all the hard work I put into getting better has been worth it and motivate me to continue to work hard and keep improving.
You can do such much on the field, which of your skills—hitting for average, hitting for power, pitching, defense, base running—do you take most pride in?
I honestly take a lot of pride in every single thing I do on the field—pretty much equally. I want to help my team succeed so any way I can do that I want to do it to the best of my ability. My coach/dad says that when I play, I don’t just represent myself I represent my team, our organization, our parents and our coaches so I want to be the best no matter what I’m doing. But I really love to play defense and run bases a lot!
Which part of the game has come the easiest and which have you had to work the hardest on?
Softball seems to come natural for me but hitting probably is the easiest. Since I was four-years-old I have always been known for my hitting and through a lot of hard work and lessons with my dad I just got much better and hope to keep getting better.
I would have to say I have to work the hardest on pitching. Pitching isn’t like hitting, running bases or playing defense, I can take time off and still be pretty good at those right away, but not with pitching. You have to put in a lot of work to be a good pitcher no matter how much talent you have. Against the kinds of teams we play there are really good hitters you face so you can’t make a lot of mistakes as a pitcher and have success.
Your athletic skills could be used in so many sports, what is it about softball that has you putting this sport first?
Other than how hot it is sometimes, I love so many things about softball over other sports. To be really good at the sport there are many things that are important. Being fast, athletic, strong, coordinated or quick gives you an advantage in softball but it isn’t enough to be the best—you have to be smart and you have to work hard no matter your talent. I was always told that A LOT when I was smaller and now. “You have to outwork your talent.” No other sport lets you have so much fun with your teammates and there is nothing like time with my teammates. On the field and in the dugout the fun never stops and I love cheering on my teammates. The energy is not like that in other sports.
You were just starting to check out colleges when the early recruiting rules went into place in April of 2018… are you glad it went into effect or do you wish you could get the recruiting process over and put it behind you?
It was really cool to be given attention by great schools and even have two offers, but I am glad the rules changed. I don’t think I wanted the pressure of committing so fast and I think I would have felt pressure to say yes to one of them. I now have time to learn more about the schools and they can learn more about me before we choose each another.
Looking back on your career so far, both club and high school, what’s been your favorite experience (or experiences) both in softball and off the field?
My favorite experience on the field has been watching our team get better every single year. It is really cool that we started as a league team that no one knew. We got really good really fast and have accomplished so much already. My favorite experience off the field is getting to meet all the really cool people when we’re traveling and playing teams from around the country. It’s like growing a bigger softball family outside my team family.
Have you set personal goals for yourself for this year? Or in general?
I do have personal goals but they are simple: I want to get better every week, every month and every single year. I don’t want to limit myself by saying my goal is to increase my average to .600 this year or drop my errors to less than, say, 10 this year or something like that because you never know if you can do even better than that. I try to just get better, that’s always my goal on the field along with helping my team win and be successful. My dad is such a softball nerd and is so detailed—he always does an “assessment” each season to see our progress—and I want that assessment to be better every year.
