Former Bruins’ Closer Chad Jones Inks Pro Contract with Independent Team in Canada

NEWBERG, Ore. - Two years after completing his George Fox University career, former Bruins’ relief ace Chad Jones is finally getting a chance to pursue a professional baseball career by inking a free agent contract with the Quebec Capitales of the Canadian-American League, an independent league with teams in New England, New York, and eastern Canada.

Jones, a side-arming right-hander from McMinnville, Ore., played for the Bruins for two seasons (2009-10) after two years at Chemeketa Community College.  He posted a career record of 11-5 for the Bruins with a school-record 11 saves, a 2.59 earned run average which ranks second all-time, and 87 strikeouts with only 28 walks in 90.1 innings over 41 appearances.   

In 2009, Jones was a First Team All-NWC and Third Team All-West Region pick, leading the Bruins in wins while going 8-2, saves with a single-season record seven, ERA with a 2.17 mark, appearances with a school-record 25, and strikeouts with 42 while walking only 14 in 49.2 innings.  He had the eighth-best ERA in Bruin history.  In NCAA national statistics, he was 15th in saves, 26th in earned run average, and 36th in wins.  In the conference, he was first in ERA, saves, appearances, games finished (18), and games in relief (25), second in wins, fourth in opponents’ batting average (.251), and seventh in strikeouts. 

As a senior in 2010, Jones led the team in ERA (3.10) and saves (4) while posting a 3-3 record with 45 strikeouts and 14 walks in 40.2 innings.  He made 19 appearances and allowed a .277 batting average.  In the conference, he was first in games finished (15), tied for first in saves, and was third in total appearances and relief appearances (16) and seventh in strikeouts.  He received honorable mention for All-NWC honors.

For the past two summers, Jones pitched for Swift Current (Saskatchewan) in the Western Major Baseball League, Canada’s premier summer collegiate league, helping the Indians to the league championship in 2010 and the Central Division title in 2011.  As the Indians’ closer this past summer, he won the Homme Award as the WMBL’s Top Pitcher, proving to be virtually unhittable out of the bullpen.  He finished the regular season with a 5-2 record, a 1.14 ERA, 63 strikeouts and only seven walks in 39.1 innings and 22 appearances, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innnings pitched) of 0.65.  He was the league leader in ERA and finished second in strikeouts.

Since returning home following the summer season, Jones has kept busy with a weekly workout plan, keeping his arm in shape, and helping coach the pitchers at McMinnville High School while working as an assistant manager at a Famous Footwear store.    

“I am extremely excited; this is a great league and an incredible opportunity for me,” said Jones.  “It was pretty interesting how I was contacted. The coach of the Capitales was looking for a pitcher, and he knew the head coach of a team I played against last year, the coach of the Medicine Hat Mavericks. The Mavericks’ coach contacted my coach in Canada, and he let me know about it. A couple days later, the Quebec coach contacted me and asked if I was interested, and of course I was. I leave in early May and get back in September.

“God blessed me with two great summers in Canada, and with an arm that is feeling better than ever.  I feel like I'm reaching a peak in my career, and I've got that determination and passion to work harder and harder each day in order to get closer to reaching my goal of playing professional baseball.”

Jones is the 22nd George Fox player to sign a professional contract either as a draftee or a free agent, and the first since Dan Wentzell as a 20th-round draft choice of the Oakland Athletics in 2007.