Hayden Jones is entering his first season with the Warriors program, serving as the Hitting/Catching Coach for the 2024-25 season.
Before joining the Warriors, Coach Jones signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 and has since spent his time in the minor leagues, starting in Low-A and later advancing to High-A. In the 2022 season, he primarily played for the Low-A affiliate, the Daytona Tortugas, and earned a well-deserved call-up to the High-A affiliate, the Dayton Dragons, towards the end of the season. During that season, Hayden demonstrated his skills in 76 games, amassing 258 at-bats and achieving a batting average of .233. He contributed significantly with 33 runs, 60 hits, 12 doubles, 10 home runs, and 32 RBIs. Behind the plate, Jones caught 395.2 innings, boasting an impressive .990 fielding percentage and a remarkable 47% throw-out rate. He allowed only 9 passed balls and recorded 40 assists. In the 2023 season, Hayden continued to shine with the Dayton Dragons in High-A, playing in 25 games. He had 74 at-bats, maintained a batting average of .230, and hit 3 home runs, 3 doubles, and 7 RBIs. Defensively, he caught 140.2 innings with a stellar .993 fielding percentage and an incredible 60% throw-out rate. He allowed just 6 passed balls and contributed with 9 assists.
Prior to his time with the Cincinnati Reds organization, Jones played college ball at Mississippi State and Illinois State. During his time at Mississippi State, while playing on the 2019 CWS team Hayden appeared in 27 games with 14 starts, making five starts at catcher and nine at designated hitter. His MSU debut came as a pinch-hitter against Youngstown State (2/15) in the season opener. During the series, he hit a 400-foot solo home run (2/16) for his first collegiate hit. He produced a pair of three-game hitting streaks: February 16-24 and February 27-March 2, and owned a season-long seven-game reached base streak from February 16-March 2. He also had one multi-hit game and two multi-RBI games. At Illinois State, he appeared in 38 games with 31 starts.. homered 5 times and brought in 19 RBI's.Â
Jones is originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and hails from a family of baseball heritage. His father, Ken Jones, played at Western Michigan University before being selected by the San Diego Padres in the 1995 MLB Draft. His Uncle, Brad Jones, lettered in baseball at Ball State University. His Cousin, Chris Menzie, lettered in baseball at Huntington University, while his Cousin, Tyler Jones, is a member of the University of Dayton baseball program.
