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“Watching [her] play in person, you… almost feel like [she’s] going to explode out of [her] skin because [she] wants to win and achieve success for her team and, yes, individually so badly.”
That was the quote we printed two years ago about Sa’Mya Jones, the talented athlete for Hotshots National (led by her father Steve Jones) when she was ranked the as the top player in the Extra Elite 100 class of 2024.
Watching Sa’Mya Jones play now, you see this statement stands even more true—especially after a summer that saw her forced to the bench with an injury—but now she’s more battle-tested, more mature, more game savvy, more refined and more focused in her play… yet still as passionate and as fun to watch as she was then.
Athletically, Sa’Mya—or “Money” as she’s often called—is one of the most gifted players in the junior 2024 class, and it is her work ethic, skill development and obvious competitiveness that sets her apart from many. She has the power of a heftier corner player, the speed of an elite slapper, the barrel control and plate discipline to hit for high average, the glove, range and footwork infield of a premier middle infielder and the ability to make plays in the outfield with elite outfielders.
Watching her play, you’d think it all comes so easily to her and that she doesn’t feel much pressure, but Sa’Mya will tell you a slightly different story. Ironically, one of the most telling indications of how impactful of a player she is revealed itself when she couldn’t be on the field.
When she missed PGF Nationals this summer due to a mild hamstring strain, it was evident her team was missing a vital piece of its championship winning puzzle. As Sa’Mya humbly points out, she has a ton of talented teammates who are more than capable, but even with that much talent available it was clear that their team was very different without her on the field or in the lineup.
In the two previous national events (Top Club and Triple Crown Nationals) the team went a combined 19-1 and had a .440 team batting average, scoring more than eight runs per game against some of the top teams in the country. Contrast that to the Hotshots’ last national event (PGF) without their teammate available, where the team still went an impressive 7-3 but had a .280 team batting average and only averaged four runs per game.
In some ways, it’s refreshing for some to know that even the most talented players still have anxieties and concerns about recruiting, rankings, the worry of letting teammates down, etc. that their peers have, but as Sa’Mya so appropriately points out: “If there was no pressure, it means you are not competing in the most competitive environments, playing the best teams, performing like the best players, getting the best opportunities you deserve and challenging yourself properly.”
“Pressure is truly a privilege,” she adds, obviously speaking from experience. “It is in this arena that you really find your true self, and—whomever that self is, embrace it and be proud that you were brave enough to search for her.”
Here’s our Extra Inning Q&A with this standout 2024 Extra Elite 100 player we’ll be hearing a lot of in the upcoming years…
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Extra Inning Softball: You’re a very talented player and always seem so cool in pressure situations. Do you ever feel any pressure and does everything come that easy to you??
Sa’Mya Jones: I like that I look cool and calm on the outside because I’m not on the inside (laughs)!. I absolutely love those situations but that doesn’t mean I’m not worried that I won’t come through when my teammates and coaches are counting on me. I expect to come through, but I know that there is a chance I won’t, and I don’t want that to happen. Certainly, the glory is so much more fun and sweeter when you come through in those situations. And you would never get a chance to feel that if you shy away from them.
Playing at the highest level in travel softball means playing the best so you have to kinda expect those situations and embrace them. I honestly live for the chance.
No, everything definitely does not come easy for me. Some things do but when you play the very best, even the things that are easy to me aren’t guaranteed. Girls pitch better, run faster, play better defense so I must be that much better on defense and offense. We practice a lot on my team, and I work extra outside of our team practices too so that I can’t say I didn’t prepare for those moments. I work really hard to be the best I can be, and I know I am still not done growing and getting better.
With September 1 and the Division I live recruiting period just hours away, we know a lot of top programs will be seeking you out. Has the process up to this point been pretty stress free for you? What have you enjoyed about it and what, if anything, has not been too enjoyable?
I hope so! And, no, the process has not been without stress. A lot of top schools watch our team play and have been watching us for a long time. I don’t think you get used to it, but it gets a little easier because I know if they watch me enough, they will see the player I am and hopefully they really like that player.
The only time I am not really concerned about coaches watching me at all is when we are in close games with really good teams. You get so focused on trying to win that the people in the stands kind of fade away—even college coaches. But usually, I see the coaches in the stands between innings. Some hide good but I see them most of the time too!
It is pretty exciting when you have a lot of the coaches watching you play, and I enjoyed some of the camps I have attended a lot and getting to see different campuses. It is exciting to have seen some of my teammates commit to schools too.
The least enjoyable thing about the process is the not knowing. Not knowing how much a coach likes you. Not knowing if my 4-for-4 game with two home runs impressed a coach or if I turned their head with a couple of great defensive plays. Not knowing if my 0-for-3 game with a strikeout changed their mind about me or if a couple of errors make them question my abilities on defense.
Sounds crazy and I’m told all the time not to over-analyze recruiting but I think we do it naturally no matter what your coaches or parents say. I’m just a little anxious about September 1st but I’m trying to keep it in perspective. I have had a lot of schools express their interest in me for more than four years now but until I hear something from them after September 1st I am not going to count my chickens.
Do you promote yourself or publicize your accomplishments online or on social media?
I am also not good at posting on social media about myself. I am told I really should have been doing it, but I have always thought if I stand out on the field the rest will take care of itself. I think the pressure of recruiting and the rankings and other things pressure players into posting more than usual. I know my coaches and parents have said I should post more, but it is just not something that comes naturally for me.
What do you think about the rankings of players? Good for the sport? Have you thought a lot about the rankings
I love it and I hate it sometimes, but I think it is great for the sport. All the other sports do rankings, and it is good to see softball start to do a lot of the things other sports do for the players. The girls that put so much work in daily should get a chance to be recognized for all the work and their talent, like some of my gifted teammates.
I sometimes hate it because some people use it to judge players on their worth—too high and you are not as good as people think and too low and you’re not very good at all. But I think the good outweighs the bad by a lot. Even the high school football rankings have some of the same problems, but it is good for this sport in my opinion, because the talent in our sport deserves recognition.
It seems you play with so much competitiveness that losing would totally deflate you. Given your team wins so much, how do you deal with losing when it does happen? And how do you deal with any failures you may feel like you have when you play?
I hate losing! My teammates do too, but we know it is part of the game. To be honest, it totally sucks when losing but we lose with the same class we win with; when we lose it should look the exact same as when we win and that is what we do. I hate the feeling but me and my teammates usually shake it off pretty quickly and I try to learn something from it.
It does takes a little longer when it is a big-game loss, though. I actually deal with us losing as a team better than I do when I feel I have failed my team. I don’t pout so much but if I am in a position to stop my team from losing there isn’t much that feels worse than letting them down. Coach tells us all the time that success in this game can be changed in how you perceive failure. That’s what we try to focus on.
What kind of summer did your team have and what were any high and low points for you this summer?
We had a spectacular summer! We have such a talented team and we play as a team. We had one of the best pitching staffs in the country in our age group—I think the best [pitchers, Peyton Tanner, a top 2024 and Mallie West, a top 2025] are my teammates. Our three pitchers were pretty awesome this summer and our defense was just as good behind them. We hit really well throughout our entire lineup most of the summer too and that ended up in us winning two national titles before the injury bug caught up to us at PGF. This entire summer was a lot of fun for me so I can’t pick one specific high point.
The low point for me was missing our last nationals event at PGF due to a strained hamstring. I loved cheering my teammates on, but it sucked sitting in the dugout and not being able to play.
Where do you feel your biggest area of growth was? And where did you improve most this past year?
I continue to work on all of my game to get better. I played through an arm injury a little over a year ago and getting back from that has made me a lot more mentally tough. My dad called it an exercise in frustration that he felt would make me stronger. I didn’t agree at first, while going through it, but looking back I see what he meant.
Any insider info on your top school choices? What schools would you like to go on visits to or on top of your list?
Let’s see which schools want to offer me and then I will answer this (laughs)! There are several schools I’m interested in, and I think it will come down to what feels right and getting advice from my parents. Some of them I have been to their camps and a few that I haven’t seen yet. Hopefully, they all want me bad! But wherever I end up I know they will have to want me as much as I want to go there.