From Fighting Irish media
The University of Notre Dame’s John P. and Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach Shawn Stiffler has announced the hiring of Lucas Jones as an assistant coach for the baseball program. Jones will coordinate infield development and oversee all aspects of baserunning and the short game, while assisting Ryan Munger, who has been promoted to recruiting coordinator in addition to his current role as assistant coach, with hitting.
“Lucas has been a winner at every level of college baseball," Stiffler said. "During his head coaching stops, Lucas has taken three different programs and turned them into national brands and champions. His love for teaching the game and ability to develop relationships will have a huge impact on our program. We are thrilled to have Lucas, Karla and their three children join the Notre Dame family.”
“My wife and I, along with our three children - Gavin, Hadley and Dayton - are extremely grateful to the University of Notre Dame and Coach Shawn Stiffler for this incredible opportunity,” said Jones. “My goal is to assist this great institution by serving our student-athletes at the highest level and helping share in the vision that Coach Stiffer and his staff have established.”
Jones joins the Fighting Irish after a successful coaching stint at the University of Lynchburg. He was hired as the head coach for the Hornets in May 2017 and made an immediate impact. Jones was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Coach of the Year after he led the program to an ODAC Championship and NCAA Division III Regional Tournament berth in 2021. His squad made their second-consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament as Jones repeated as ODAC Coach of the Year in 2022.
In his sixth season at Lynchburg, Jones guided the program to the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship. The Hornets established new program records for ODAC wins (19) and total wins (48) in a season on the way to the title. He was named as Region 6 Coach of the Year and the American Baseball Coaches Association/ATEC Sports Division III Coach of the Year in 2023.
Jones mentored three ODAC Rookies of the Year, two Pitchers of the Year, and a Player of the Year from 2019 through 2023. Additionally, the Hornets had 24 all-conference, 11 all-region and six all-American selections while Jones was at the helm of the program.
Jones served two seasons as the head coach of Washington and Lee University in 2016 and 2017. He was the 2016 ODAC Coach of the Year while his 2017 squad tied the program record for wins in a season while competing in the ODAC Championship.
His first head coaching role was at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia, where his Patriots went 77-32 in two seasons (2014-15). The 2014 squad placed fourth at the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 finals as Jones was named region Coach of the Year. The team then went on to finish second in the 2015 National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 finals.
Jones began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2007. The Rams won the Colonial Athletic Association and advanced to the NCAA Tournament that season. Jones spent three seasons as an assistant at Randolph-Macon College (2007-10) with another three-year stint at George Mason University (2010-13).
Jones is a 2005 magna cum laude graduate of Lynchburg College with a bachelor of arts in communications studies and a minor in sports management. He was a three-year starter at first base for the Hornets, finishing second all-time at Lynchburg with a .426 career batting average. He batted .481 in 2005 on his way to earning First Team All-ODAC honors and the ODAC Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards. He received ABCA First Team All-America honors, was a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America selection, the VaSID College Division Player of the Year, and the Lynchburg College Male Athlete of the Year.
