Kennedy Jones almost didn't come back to South Carolina. What changed?

Soon after being hired and arriving in Columbia last summer, Paul Mainieri got down to business by beginning to put together his first roster at South Carolina. He met with associate head coach/hitting coach Monte Lee, the only coach retained from the previous staff, to see what players they could bring back.

As they went through a list of current players who could return for 2025, Mainieri was curious about one particular name: Kennedy Jones. But Lee told him not to hold his breath. He said an MLB team would draft and sign Jones.

And so that was that. Mainieri quickly moved on and didn’t think another second about him. Then as he kept tabs on the MLB Draft to see which players he’d be losing, he noticed something. Three days had gone by, and he didn’t see Jones’ name called.

“We did not count on him coming back,” Mainieri said after fall practice. “And so, I called (Jones) on the telephone a few days later, and he was like, ‘I didn’t think you wanted me back.'”

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Mainieri was puzzled. He had never spoken to Jones before in his life. After Mainieri had been hired, a social media post went around indicating Jones was going to enter the transfer portal. Ultimately, that turned out to be false.

“People like to start false narratives. Maybe they were just bored or something,” Jones told GamecockCentral.

“I said, ‘Kennedy, let’s get something straight right from the start,” Mainieri said, “you believe what comes out of my mouth, not what you read on social media, okay? Let’s just establish that relationship to begin with.'”

At that point, Mainieri wanted Jones to come back for 2025. After all, he did have another year of eligibility available since he was only a junior. Because he wasn’t a part of the original plan, there were some hoops to jump through to make that happen.

Mainieri explained it had to do with figuring out the roster and scholarship money, which they were able to do so. Jones is officially back for his second year at South Carolina, now as a senior. But he returns with a chip on his shoulder and much to prove.

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While he had a fine season in 2024, one of the knocks against him was that he couldn’t hit in the clutch. At least that’s what people were telling Mainieri. They told him that Jones didn’t hit home runs when it mattered.

“Being who I am and how I do things, when I first met Kennedy, I said, ‘Hey, this is what people told me about you, is this true? You don’t hit in the clutch? You don’t hit home runs when they matter?'” Mainieri said. “(He said) ‘Who told you that?’ I said, ‘Ah, I just heard it from a few people.'”

Jones hit .289 with nine homers and 48 RBI in 201 at-bats last season. But his numbers took a dip from where they were when he was at UNC Greensboro. He hit .362 with 25 homers and 116 RBI in 2022 and 2023 with the Spartans. He got on base at a higher rate and his slugging percentage was more than 100 points higher than 2024. Jones also only had 58 hits in 2024; he had 92 in 2022 and 86 in 2023.

“It was definitely a big adjustment. Pitchers are definitely better than SoCon,” Jones said on playing in the SEC. “But I think it’s more of you’ve got to get yourself out there. Like I went from the SoCon to the SEC — that’s kind of a big jump. So, I feel like after being in the SEC for a year, it will definitely come a little easier for me this year.”

After watching Jones hit throughout the fall, Mainieri knew this was a guy he could count on. So much so that he believes the right-handed slugger will “have his best year in college yet.”

“He would come up in situations, in an inter-squad game against a good pitcher, and bases would be loaded,” Mainieri said. “I’d go over to the on-deck circle, and I’d say, ‘These are the situations that people were telling me that you didn’t come through in, but I believe that you do — you will.’ And sure enough, he’d get up and he’d smoke one up the middle for a two-run single.”

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When Jones first transferred to South Carolina, he didn’t crack last year’s Opening Day lineup. But that will surely change heading into this season. He’s projected to be a regular starter, whether it’s in the outfield or designated hitter.

With last year’s leading hitter Cole Messina now playing pro ball, there’s a huge void in the middle of the lineup, presumably right behind Ethan Petry, to fill. Jones, who hit in the middle of the order by season’s end in 2024, likes his chances if he gets to protect Petry in the order.

“I mean, me personally, if somebody were to walk Petry to get to me, that would fire me up,” he said.

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