Jesuit Dallas Athletics

Entering his 14th season as the Jesuit Dallas baseball head coach, Brian Jones has anchored a resurgence for Jesuit Dallas that included the program’s first University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A State Championship in 2016. Jones enters the 2024 season with a 349-116-13 record as the Rangers’ head coach, an overall record of 514-219-13, and a 127-11-0 record against district opponents.

Jones accomplished a historic coaching milestone on Friday, March 28, 2023, when he earned his 500th career coaching victory when Jesuit Dallas upended Irving, 5-0.

The 2023 season saw the Rangers capture their first area championships since 2016 with a two-game series sweep of state-ranked No. 4 Hebron. Jesuit was anchored by a powerful mix of new and experienced talent, as the 1-2 pitching combo of Luke Isett '23 and Dillon Brandt '25 combined for two no-hitters, 17 complete games and 154.3 innings. Isett finished the year undefeated with an 11-0 mark while Brandt struck out a team-leading 84 batters. At the plate, Nick Barber '23 led the team with a .401 batting average en route to a TBCA All-Star Game selection, while freshman James Jorgensen was named the District Newcomer of the Year after a 35-hit season that populated a .30 batting average.

In 2022, Jesuit Dallas advanced to the postseason for the 12th consecutive year, capturing its 11th straight bi-district championship with a two-game series sweep over against Arlington and finishing the year with a 23-9 record. the 2021 season saw the Rangers go undefeated in District 7-6A and captured the eighth district title under Jones. Jesuit’s baseball team was led by Jordan Lawlar ’21, who became the third player under the tutelage of Coach Jones to be named Gatorade Texas Player of the Year before being selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the sixth overall pick of the 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) Amateur Draft.

In 2016, Jones led Jesuit to a 36-8-2 record and the UIL state title with a 6-2 victory over San Antonio Johnson on June 11. The historic win marked the first state championship for a private institution at any level of the UIL. Jones concluded the season by earning USA Today/Family Insurance and Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Texas Coach of the Year honors, and was named District Coach of the Year for the seventh time.

The Rangers’ 2016 lineup was anchored by Kyle Muller ’16, the consensus National Player of the Year. Muller was drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the 44th pick of the MLB Amateur Draft and made his major league debut against the Boston Red Sox on June 16, 2021.

Jones led the Rangers to their first state tournament appearance in team history during the 2015 season, a year that saw the Blue and Gold finish with a 35-4-2 record, a 14-0 mark in district play, and a No. 3 national ranking heading into the state tournament. A 13-1 win over MacArthur marked a personal milestone for Jones on April 26, 2015, as he captured his 300th victory as a baseball head coach. Jones would add his 400th career victory on Friday, May 11, 2018 with a 5-4 win over Oak Ridge in the UIL Area Round.

The impressive list of players that have competed under the leadership of Coach Jones include numerous NCAA Division I players and a breakout star in MLB. Jones coached 2011 Gatorade Texas Player of the Year and current Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell ’11, who would be drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the MLB Amateur Draft with the No. 61 pick and finish third in the National League Rookie of the Year vote after breaking the National League record for most home runs by a switch-hitting rookie.

Jones enjoyed success on the diamond from a young age, as he was a member of the AABC Sandy Koufax National Champions in 1982. Attending W.T. White High School, Jones was a four-time first-team all-district pick, received Dallas Morning News Sophomore of the Year honors and was the area’s leading hitter as a junior. He attended Northwood University, where he was picked to play in the 1989 Junior College All-Star game.

A member of the American Baseball Coaches Association, Texas High School Coaches Association and United Baseball Club. Jones is a former president of the North Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association and was voted the regional director for the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association (THSBCA) in January of 2016. Jones is the father of two boys: Tyler and Tanner.

The Brian Jones File

Updated 06-04-23