I Committed: Sa’Mya Jones, Ranked Top 5 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100, Reveals Why LSU Was the School That Won Her Heart

You know it’s going to be a very Happy Holidays for Sa’Mya Jones, the outstanding athlete ranked in the Top 5 of the latest 2024 Extra Elite 100 as she now knows what she wants for Christmas (and will likely get): pretty much anything LSU Tigers related!

During the evening of Sunday, October 16, 2022, Sa’Mya made it official that she would become a Tiger calling Coach Beth Torina to inform her of the news.

The junior at Dawson High in Pearland, Texas, had just returned from what she decided would be her final college visit but her trip Louisiana State University—her first visit allowed after the September 1^st recruiting period opened—had made such an impression on her almost committed at that time (knew that she owed it to herself to at least see some of the other great options she had on the table which ended up being official visits to Tennessee, Stanford and Washington).

This past summer, Sa’Mya really showed what she could do by leading her Hotshots National team coached by her father, Steve Jones, to a pair of national titles before an ill-timed injury kept her out of her last summer event.

Still, the Texan’s reputation has long been that of being one of the top talents in her class.

“Sa’Mya has worked hard to continue to get better every year,” explains her coach/father, “and it has helped that in the Hotshots org we had two of the best teams in the country so she was surrounded by elite talent on her team and on our sister team, Hotshots National Nelson. It’s been ‘iron sharpening iron,’ as they say.”

*** Click HERE to read an article from this summer titled: Finding Sa’Mya Jones… A Closer Look into the Psyche of the Talented 2024 Prospect

On September 1^st, Sa’Mya was contacted by more than 20 DI programs—most of them Power 5 schools—and narrowed her visit schedule to seven before further narrowing that to a final five.

So what was it about the Bayou Bengals that made them No. 1? We caught up with the talented softballer to learn more about her recruiting decision…

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Extra Inning Softball: When did you know it was LSU in your heart… and why?

Sa’Mya Jones: My official visit was just so good as Coach Beth and the rest of the staff all made me feel so comfortable.  I really felt like I knew in the middle of that visit, but it was the first visit.

I actually thought I would tell Coach Beth at the football game but I talked to my parents about it and they made me realize I had some really good options and I owed it to myself to see some of the other schools that might fit. Although I chose the school I visited first, I’m glad I did visit some of the other schools because it ended up being really hard for me.

EIS: So it was a lot tougher decision than you expected… why was that and what ended up being the deciding factors?

SJ: Yes! It was sooo hard.  After visiting LSU, I didn’t think it would be so hard but it was.  I didn’t want some schools waiting on me so after my first three visits we decided to back out of a few other visits that I knew I wouldn’t choose over the offers I had.

But of the visits I went on, each one of them had something I really loved about them.  A few I really liked a lot. I was surprised I liked Tennessee and Stanford as much as I did.  I could tell my dad may have liked Stanford a lot too, and I get it because he is so focused on education, but he let me make my own decision and told me that I should do what I felt right in my heart and he wanted me to be happy.

Although it was hard, LSU still just felt right.  After I finished my visit at Washington I talked to my parents at the hotel and I decided then. (Washington Head) Coach (Heather) Tarr is so amazing though, so that didn’t make things any easier either!

My mind just kept going back to how I felt at LSU on that first visit.  I wanted a school that wanted me as bad as I wanted them, and I wanted to feel it and not just hear it.  I didn’t just want to go to a school because it was a dream school of mine when I was younger regardless of if it was the right fit for both of us.

Coach Beth made me feel that way, and she also has shown she gives young players a chance to earn time on the field and in the lineup right away, which was important to me too. When we talked, she made it clear that you get what you earn, that I can earn any spot I wanted to go after and she gave me the feeling that she expects me to earn it.  I like that.

I have talked to Coach Beth several times since I committed, and she is just so easy to talk to which makes me feel even more sure of my decision.  Coach Lindsay (Leftwich), Coach Howard (Dobson) and Coach Sandra (Simmons) all seem to follow Coach Beth’s lead as a staff, too.

The players really seemed to be free and genuine when talking to them and the atmosphere and culture of the campus just felt really good to me.  I could just see myself there; which is kinda crazy as I look back to when I was in camps there at eight and nine years old.

On top of all that, they have an amazing group of players that are committed with me in my class and an amazing group of players that just committed last year.  They are always good but I think LSU has the potential to be special by the time my class arrives.   And it doesn’t hurt that I like the color combinations of the Tigers too! #GEAUXTIGERS

EIS: You have outstanding physical tools along with a high softball IQ and impressive on-field instincts… where do you think all of that came from?

SJ: Well, first I guess I should thank my parents for genetics. I can’t train to be really fast.  I think either you are or you aren’t and I have always had that thanks to my dad and mom who both ran track and were both really fast.

They were both really good athletes, too, and I think being naturally athletic is a great start, but I also think playing all the sports I have has  helped me a lot too. From gymnastics at a young age to track, volleyball and basketball, I think all of them helped me be even more athletic and coordinated.

I gave up all those other sports, but they definitely helped me become a better all-around athlete—although I am still considering one more season of basketball before I graduate. But like my dad says, no matter how much athleticism you have you can’t out-athlete people in softball.  You have to be skilled which is why I have always worked very hard and trained so hard to be good.

My dad has always made sure of that, and I absolutely hate to lose so whatever it takes to not lose I will do that. I try to follow what my dad says when he tells me that I need to work harder, be smarter and want it more than the next person. It can be a challenge to stay focused the way he wants me to in every rep I get in every practice session we have, but I do my best to do just that.  My philosophy is: “Don’t get ‘through’ workouts, get something ‘out’ of workouts.”

EIS: How often do you train and what do you do?

SJ: It depends.  During the summer season I usually train 3-4 days a week, but with tournaments added in I’m usually either hitting, fielding, agility training or playing six days a week.

In the Fall and Spring, I usually train 4-5 days a week with more weightlifting than in the summer.  We try to find a couple of weeks between seasons to just rest.  This Fall, I haven’t trained nearly as much as usual because of the recruiting process. Usually, I hit 3-4 times a week, do fielding 1-2 times a week and agility or weight training 2-3 times a week.

Sundays on non-tournament weekends are usually the only days I don’t do anything and or when my dad feels my body needs a break… which is not often! (laughs).  With high school softball beginning I also have strength and conditioning at school.  We have a new high school coach (Chelsea Boles) and she pays a lot more attention to the details than we’ve had in the past.  I’m kind of excited about that.

EIS: What have college coaches said to you that they like most about your game?

SJ: Almost all the college coaches I talk to say they love my speed, explosiveness, power, athleticism and knowledge of the game.  They all say they like the way I hit and my versatility too.  It seems all the coaches say these same things.

It’s funny though that one coach said they like that I don’t live on social media and post a lot about my accomplishments, especially when I’m told by my coach and parents that it hurts me that I don’t post much and that I need to do it more!

My dad says that compliment, though, was more about me being humble and not just because I don’t post… and that I should still post more!

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BONUS Q&A… We Talk to Coach Jones (“Dad”) About His Perspective on His Daughter & Star Player!

Extra Inning Softball: What was your perspective and involvement as both her dad and head coach in making a college choice?

Steve Jones: When college coaches would ask me about where she was leaning my answer was always the same. I would say that I am involved with respect to three questions and then it is in her court after that:

1. Is it a safe place for her to spend her time?
2. Do I feel confident the coaches will care for her as a person as much as a player?
3. What does the scholarship offer entail?

Once those three questions were answered, I was simply an advisor to her when she had questions.  Each school we considered easily passed the “three dad hurdles” (questions) so it was in her court.

Sa’Mya turned down or backed out of visits with some great Power 5 programs during the process and I’m proud of her for that and, ultimately, it came down to how Coach Beth and her staff clearly care for their players. Coach Torina is a wonderful coach that I believe Sa’Mya will thrive under.

Sa’Mya may not have mentioned it, but I also liked that they (LSU coaches) are so committed to the players they recruit and not reliant on the portal.  Coach Torina’s actions have shown her commitment to her players.  From a softball perspective, Sa’Mya is right in that they have one of the top 2023 recruiting classes in the country and one of the top, if not the top, 2024 recruiting classes (most of the class is at the top of Extra Inning Softball’s rankings).

There may have been other things about the other options she had on the table that are appealing as a parent, but most important to us was that she be 100 percent happy with her choice and LSU checked the most important boxes.

EIS: As her dad, what advice did you provide Sa’Mya?

SJ: I just told her to try to enjoy the process and to make all decisions based on what she felt best about.  There were a couple of schools I wished she had taken visits to but she’d decided there was no way she’d choose them above a couple of the offers she had in hand, so I supported her.

I only told her to look beyond the pitches and look to what’s going on in the programs, on the campuses, with how the players interact with the coaches and with each other, what graduates were doing upon graduation, etc.

EIS: And as her coach, how did your advice differ or stay the same?

SJ: As her coach—she would cringe at this—but I can objectively say that I have not seen a player in the class that has her combination of power, speed, skill, athleticism, versatility and softball IQ.

The same statement has been made several times by people who know the game at its highest levels including college scouts, Extra Inning Softball (she’s always been somewhere in the No. 1 to No. 4 spots), OnDeck Softball (95.87 Alister Index at just 12 years old), Perfect Game (ranked #2 in the class) and numerous high-level travel ball coaches, yet it takes a lot for me to make that statement.

I am always concerned about any real or perceived bias, but, as her coach who has coached at a high level for more than 20 years, trained and competed against thousands of athletes (many at the highest levels of the sport), I think she’s the top 2024 in the class if we are talking about the total package player.

For years she has been the leader on one of the most successful travel ball teams in the country and has not just been consistently productive; she shows up differently in the biggest moments on the biggest stages.

Sa’Mya didn’t get to play essentially at all this Fall due to her college visits, but, just as she always has, she was a catalyst for our team this past Summer and the preceding year.  She was either the leader or one of the leaders in every offensive category of the stat book and was a defensive stalworth for us in the middle making just as much impact defensively as offensively in key situations.  She led the team in OPS, slugging percentage, extra-base hits and QABs and was Top 3 in home runs, stolen bases, and RBIs.

But despite regularly producing gawdy stats, as a coach I want to know what type of competitor a player is. What manifests from all those metrics when they are on the field in-game when it matters most? Sa’Mya just produces and has for a long time at every level for us.  There is no other player I’ve seen in the class I’d want in a big moment when a play needs to be made on either side of the ball.

She also happens to be one of the toughest players you’ll meet; people would be surprised at how often she has played while hurt for the sake of the team.  Sometimes you take it for granted but a few examples quickly come to mind:

*  This past summer in Triple Crowns Sparkler Power Pool, we faced a hard-hitting Hawaii team and in the last inning they had runners at first and second with no outs and us clinging to a two-run lead.  Sa’Mya makes a shoestring catch racing across the infield and has the body control to flip the ball to her teammate at second base for a double play.  She follows that up on the very next play on a tough infield chopper running through a successful shortstop, quickly transfers and makes a nice throw on the run to end the game.   She had a similar moment in nationals the previous year in a big moment when we were down one run with runners at first and second and no outs where I was going to have her sacrifice the runners over to second and third.  A Power 5 college coach watching the game asked me to please let her swing at least once, so I changed the call.  As the pitch was delivered that coach said “Watch, she’ll hit a home run” and, well, that’s exactly what happened which helped us advance on to the Final 4.  Needless to say, that coach took credit for the win! (laughs)

* As to her toughness, one great example of her toughness that stands out is from several years ago at PGF Nationals.  People don’t know it, but the year that we were in the 12U PGF Final and lost a 1-0 game in which Sa’Mya pitched five scoreless innings, she played the last three games of that event on a badly sprained ankle.

Playing against a talented SoCal Athletics team, she twisted her angle when we were down a run with runners at second and third and two outs.  She hit a hard line-drive that bent the shortstop’s glove causing her the ball to deflect away from her.  Sa’Mya hurt her ankle immediately after contact and fell to the ground in pain but realizing she could still make it to the base stood up and hopped on one leg to first base before collapsing again.

We had to carry her off the field and were worried we’d lost her for the rest of the event, but she insisted on playing.  We loaded her with pain meds, wrapped her ankle up really tight, applied ice and she played the next three games.  She couldn’t run like she usually could, but she still excelled in those last three games playing key roles in getting us to and competing in the championship game.

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball