Rochester, MN – Rochester Community and Technical College is happy to announce Clark Jones as the new head baseball coach at the College. RCTC athletic director Mike Lester says “We are thrilled to have Coach Jones step into the head coaching role for our baseball program for the upcoming season. The team, under former Coach Steve Hucke, is poised to have a phenomenal season, and having met with several players they are excited to take the next step toward a return to the Junior College World Series. With a successful and experienced head coach partnering with the young men in the program I am looking forward to their success on and off the field.”
Coach Jones is the all-time leader in coaching victories (272) at Elmhurst College, where he coached from 1993-2006 and he was the CCIW Coach of the Year in 1997. His other coaching stops have included Ohio University as a hitting coach, as well as a seven-year stint as an assistant coach at RCTC (from 2007-2011).
“I want to thank Mike Lester and President Boyd for giving me the opportunity to coach at RCTC,” Jones said. “RCTC is such a well-respected community college, rich in both academic and athletic tradition. I consider myself very lucky and look forward to the challenge of continuing to build on such a strong program built by Coach Steve Hucke and his staff. It’s obvious the cupboards here weren’t left bare and the guys are extremely motivated for the upcoming season. Together with players and coaches, we are looking for big things to come.
“One of the keys to building a top-notch program is retention of coaching staff and maintaining stability. I am thrilled to continue working with hitting coach Dave Adams and pitching Coach Brad Pfeffer and will be leaning on them heavily in my transition.”
While at Elmhurst, Coach Jones coached two All-Americans, 23 All-Region, and 56 All-Conference performers. He had three Conference batting champions, four Conference players of the year, and two major league draft picks.
In addition to his coaching background, Coach Jones served as an associate scout for the New York Yankees from 1991-1992, and for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2006-2010. He is also the owner of “Playball Right,” providing pitching and hitting lessons from 2006 to the present.
“As far as goals are concerned, I plan to recruit in southeast Minnesota heavily,” Jones said. “There is an abundance of talent right here and with the strong academic programs we have along with the quality of our facility, the experience and knowledge of our coaching staff, our culture, and the ability to play beyond the two-year level in some capacity, RCTC baseball is a very attractive option.
“We will be known as a team that is opportunistic, a team that plays smart, a team that will pressure you non-stop and never give up, and a team that will win or lose with class.”
Jones lives in Rochester with his wife and two kids. Away from the field, Jones is a Realtor serving the Rochester area.