Mansfield honors late coach with quarterfinal win over Galena

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By Josh Hall

MANSFIELD, Mo. – Members of the Mansfield baseball team made a trip to the cemetery, located less than a mile away from Douglas A. Jones Field, prior to Wednesday’s Class 2 quarterfinal game against Galena.

The Lions wanted to visit their late coach, Doug Jones, who passed away on January 25 after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

“It was just a visit to kind of calm us and just kind of talk to coach,” Mansfield senior Sean Neal said.

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Doug Jones holds the Missouri state record with 741 victories. He guided the Lions to the state semifinals six times (1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 2005). Mansfield won back-to-back state titles in 1995 and 1996.

Now the Lions will make their seventh Final Four appearance after claiming a 9-3 win against the Bears. Mansfield (19-2) will take on Lincoln (27-1) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at CarShield Field in O’Fallon.

“It seems like the whole world knows what we’ve went through this year,” Mansfield acting head coach Gary Green said. “One of the things coach (Jones) said from the start was he wanted to hang another number on the scoreboard and the gym, so that’s been the goal from Day 1.”

Since Jones’ diagnoses on January 11, 2015, until his passing, he never missed a game.

“He loved baseball, he loved the Mansfield Lions, he loved everything about this sport,” Greene said. “I know he’s smiling. I know that.”

Jones remained in the dugout during Mansfield’s district title last season and during the Lions’ fall season, where they posted a 12-0 record.

All the while, Jones was undergoing treatment.  But he never stopped battling. And he didn’t stop pushing his team to play to the best of their ability.

“We had one goal in sight and it just furthered it even more with the passing of coach Jones,” Neal said. “There was no chance we weren’t going to fight every inning of every game.”

Mansfield, the No. 2 team in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings, continues to hang Jones’ game jacket in the dugout for every game.

There were two exceptions to that.

“I forgot to bring it at Marshfield and Mountain Grove and we lost both games,” Greene said.

Those were Mansfield’s only losses this season.

“I think all our success comes back to coach Jones, because even if you didn’t have the best talent, he got the best out of you,” Neal said. “He got whatever you had; he got you to work hard.”

That hard work paid off.

“We want more,” Neal said. “We’re just beginning now.”

Emotions were high after the Lions’ victory against the Bears, who reached the quarterfinal round for the first time since 1988.

“It’s a bittersweet emotion for me, personally,” Doug Jones’ son, Evan said. “I’m elated and proud of what this team has been able to accomplish thus far, yet I still have a somber feeling that lingers in my mind, knowing dad isn’t here to see it.”

Evan’s brother, Colton, has served as an assistant coach for the Lions, along with Nate Moore, James Barnett and Hayden Dennis.

Doug Jones is still listed in the program as the head coach.

“I know that dad would have been beyond proud of what this team has accomplished,” said Evan Jones, now the head baseball coach at Oak Grove High School. “He told me as far back as three years ago, when the current seniors were freshmen, that this was the group that could get us back to the ‘promise land’ as he like to put it.

“As usual, he was right. And when I close my eyes I can see him smiling and winking as he tells me, ‘I told ya.’ I wish more than anything he were here to experience it one final time.”

Mansfield has put up impressive numbers this season. The Lions are hitting .341 as a team and have a team earned run average of 1.47.

Jonah Williamson leads the team with a 1.3 ERA. The senior has compiled an 18-2 record in his last two seasons.

Williamson improved to 8-0 on the year after allowing one earned run and five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 6 and 2/3 innings.

Like every member of Mansfield’s club, Williamson drew inspiration from Doug Jones when he took the mound on Wednesday.

“Coach said, ‘make a run at conference, districts and make a run at state. It means everything meeting his goal,” Williamson said. “We’re going to the Final Four. That was his goal. He’s smiling. He’s excited, too.”

Mansfield got on the board early after taking advantage of one of three Galena errors. Clayton Henry delivered a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Lions a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

Williamson got all the run support he needed when Mansfield plated six runs in the top of the third inning. Jordan Evans and Neal did most of the damage with 2-run doubles.

The Lions didn’t look back from there.

“All year our pitching has been very, very good,” Greene said. “It’s just been phenomenal, and as of late our offense has been like it was today. We’ve really hit the ball well the last two or three weeks.”

Galena responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Mansfield answered with two runs in the sixth. The Bears (18-6; No. 5 MHSBCA) rallied in the bottom of the seventh, but were held to one run.

“That’s a great ball team,” Galena coach Byron Richardson said. “They did a great job. They take good at-bats and put pressure on you.”

Now the Lions will look to put pressure on No. 3 Lincoln, which improved to 27-1 on the year after claiming a 10-7 victory over Adrian on Wednesday.

“We’ve still got work to do,” Williamson said. “It’s still not over. It’s not over.”

But the Lions will take a day or two to reflect on what they’ve accomplished so far this season, and remember the man that helped get them there.

“This means a whole lot to our program,” Neal said. “I know coach Jones is looking down on us now and he’s smiling.”

Mansfield 9, Galena 3

MANSFIELD – 1 0 6 0 0 2 0 – 9

GALENA – 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 – 3

Mansfield: 12 hits, 4 errors

Galena: 5 hits, 3 errors

MANSFIELD HITTING: Mason Roy 1-5, RBI, run; Jonah Williamson 1-4, run; Alex McGuire run; Spencer Greene 1-3, BB; Devin Kingery 1-2, run, 2 BB; Clayton Henry 0-3, run two RBI; Jordan Evans 2-4 (2B), 2 RBI, run; Sean Neal 3-4 (2 2B), 2 RBI, 2 runs; Jacob Gray 3-4, RBI, run.

GALENA HITTING: Caleb Hall 1-3, walk; Luke Burk 1-4 (2B), run; Austin Hult 0-3, RBI, run; Caleb Seaman 2-3, RBI, run; Cody Sartin 1-2, RBI.

MANSFIELD PITCHING: Jonah Williamson (W) 6 2/3 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), 5 strikeouts, 2 walks; Jordan Evans 1/3 IP, no runs, no hits, no strikeouts, no walks.

GALENA PITCHING: Logan Sorrell (L) 5 IP, 9 hits, 9 runs (4 earned), 2 strikeouts, 2 walks; Luke Burk 2 IP, 3 hits, no runs, 1 strikeout, 1 walk.

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