Recruit Profile: Travis Jones

“[Texas] is the best college in the world… why wouldn’t I want to go there?”

Travis Jones faced a decision regarding his future when he was selected in the 39th round of the MLB draft. Jones could play for the Texas Rangers, or attend and play for the Texas Longhorns.

“It has to be life-changing money to [choose the draft],” Jones said. “I definitely wanted to go to college.”

The Atascocita High School senior stands at 6’5’’ and 190 lbs. Jones played shortstop his senior year, but is also listed as an infielder on TexasSports.com.

Jones is ranked number 128 overall and the number 21 shortstop nationally by Perfect Game, so it wasn’t a surprise that his skills are sought after.

“It was a cool experience to be a part of the draft process and to get drafted as a high school player,” Jones said. ““Going through all of the draft stuff, I wasn’t too surprised that I got drafted, but where I got drafted was a surprise.”

Tommy Nicholson, recruiting coordinator for Texas, on Jones: “Travis is very athletic and a good-sized kid who can run, hit for power and throw. He’s a really exciting player all around. Out of this class he’s potentially a five-tool guy, a guy that makes your team go. He’s really exciting on the bases and has played in a lot of games and come up with a lot of big hits.”

“I’ll definitely go to Austin and do collegiate baseball and experience college,” Jones said. “It’s definitely been my dream school; the atmosphere at Texas and the atmosphere at the games are awesome. Everything about Texas is where I want to be.”

Jones, a native Texan, has had the University of Texas in mind for a very long time, and is already beginning his journey by opting out of summer league.

“I’m going up to Austin a little bit early to take some summer classes,” Jones said.

Jones hasn’t decided where his college career will take him in the future and is considering majoring in finance or engineering.

“Going into the draft after my third year of college is going to be another tough decision. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” Jones said.

Jones is realistic about his opportunities for playing time as a freshman, “I’m not the type of person to talk about stuff like that,” Jones said. “I’m going to go up there and try to play in my spot, and hopefully I’m able to work my way into the lineup.”

Jones isn’t shy about his desire to remain in his home state either, “I would definitely want to stay in Texas and play for the Rangers and Astros.”