THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607240139
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 50 lines
WHEN YOU CAN HIT like Otis Jones, it sure can be frustrating when you don't hit like Otis Jones.
``I just couldn't get it going during the high school season,'' said Jones, the former Churchland outfielder who is now starring for the American Legion Post 310 team. ``My batting was up and down.''
A technical problem - opening his stance and letting his shoulder drop - resulted in many of Jones' hits being long on altitude, short on distance.
But this summer has seen a more mechanically sound Jones once again ripping the ball all over the field. His average, which required a late flurry to stay comfortably above the .300 mark during high school play, has hovered around the .400 mark through 16 games of Legion ball.
``And the thing is, Otis hits those bullet line drives, those big-league line drives,'' said Post 310 coach Robert Jones, who also scouts for the Baltimore Orioles.
This type of hitting has allowed Otis Jones to regain his status as one of the area's most complete players; there were never any questions about the rest of his game.
Easily the fastest player on the Post 310 squad, Jones is also a quality centerfielder and possesses what his coach calls ``the strongest arm I've seen in the state of Virginia.''
Surprisingly, opposing runners give Jones plenty of opportunities to show his arm off.
``I guess they run because they see I'm not very big,'' the 5-9, 165-pound Jones said. ``They're starting to find out that doesn't have a lot to do with it.''
Jones' success this summer has helped him decide to make baseball, not football, his priority in the future. He was also Churchland's quarterback and Portsmouth's player of the year last season.
``I was thinking about going to Virginia State or Livingston to play football, but I think I have a better chance in baseball,'' said Jones, who is expected to attend Anne Arundel Junior College this fall.
According to Robert Jones, the former Truckers star is making the right choice.
``If he goes to a junior college for a couple of years, I'm sure he'll be signed'' by a major league team, the coach said. ``If the right person saw him, I think they'd sign him this summer.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Otis Jones' hitting average has hovered around the .400 mark through
16 games of Legion ball. by CNB