Freshman outfielders Kyle Jones, Logan Hughes cement spots in Stetson baseball lineup

DELAND — Stetson baseball coach Steve Trimper trusted in youth in 2023, with four true freshmen making at least 30 starts. The Hatters rewarded that faith with their highest win total (35) since reaching the NCAA Super Regionals five years earlier, and producing their highest team batting average (.280) in nearly a decade.

This year, Trimper has let a pair of young outfielders loose — Kyle Jones and Logan Hughes, both of whom are hitting in key spots in the Stetson order. Their immediate impact solidified an already stout lineup, helping the Hatters not only jump into first place in the ASUN but stage a handful of marquee midweek victories.

Jones, who has started 32 consecutive games, leads the Hatters in batting average (.350) and on-base percentage (.483). DeLand native Hughes has appeared in 29 contests, made 17 starts and tops the team in slugging (.603), clubbing four home runs and five doubles with a .324 average.

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"We feel really good about Logan and Kyle helping us out and winning a championship," Trimper said. "They've got a lot of steps to go before we get there; we've got to take them one at a time, and one week at a time.

"This team is locked in. I wouldn't change it for the world."

Hughes played a role in Stetson's four-run sixth inning Wednesday night in a 5-3 comeback victory over UCF, a top-20 nationally ranked team in both the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America polls. He poked a one-out single up the middle, and came around to score the tying run following consecutive singles by brothers Brandon and Jayden Hylton. Yohann Dessureault then put the Hatters ahead for good, beating the Knights' infield shift with an RBI double inside the third base line.

"It's being selective and not trying to be too aggressive, waiting for a good pitch and not jumping out of my shoes," Hughes said. "It's about relaxing and doing what I know I can do. That's been the easiest part."

Regarded as the Hatters' top defender in center field, Jones worked his way from the bottom of the lineup into the leadoff spot in relatively short order.

"We got him in there in the 9-spot, tried to take the pressure off him. And he just kept hitting," Trimper said. "Part of me wanted to leave him right there because I didn't want to mess with a good thing. After a while, three or four weeks ago, we just said we had to move him up to top. He's actually gotten better."

Jones finds ways to get aboard — drawing 19 walks, compared to just 17 strikeouts, and being plunked 11 times by pitches. He is an even bigger threat once he reaches base, tying for the ASUN lead with 13 stolen bases on 15 attempts.

On a trip to Eastern Kentucky at the end of March, Jones took a fastball off the shoulder. He still feels a bit of soreness when lifting weights nearly two weeks later.

"I feel like most of the time you're going to get pitched away," Jones said. "If you can minimize how far away it is, that's definitely a big help. Throughout high school (North Oconee in Athens, Ga.), my coach loved hit-by-pitches. I was just always taught not to get out of the way."

With Wednesday's win, Stetson (23-10) will vault inside the top-100 in RPI, increasing the odds of a top-four seed in the ASUN tournament and perhaps creating an outside shot at earning an NCAA at-large regional bid. The Hatters have taken down Florida, South Florida and UCF at home this season, and will have a rematch with Florida State on May 14.

The Hatters are giving plenty of run support to their league-best pitching staff, which sports a 4.77 ERA with 271 strikeouts. Stetson averages 7.4 runs per game with a .291 team batting average and an .861 OPS.

The numbers might sound nice but, for the newcomers, winning is everything.

"It's great vibes," Jones said. "Losing is no fun. When you go out there and get a win, everybody's got a smile on their face. That's the ultimate goal, to win as many games as possible."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Stetson baseball: Kyle Jones, Logan Hughes impressing as true freshmen