Jones rejoined the Lynchburg baseball team as the associate head coach in December of 2023.
Lynchburg introduced Lucas Jones (‘05) as the Hornets’ head baseball coach on May 26, 2017, coming from the same position at Old Dominion Athletic Conference rival Washington and Lee University. He served as the head coach from 2017-2023.
In his sixth season with the program, Jones led the Hornets to the NCAA Division III 2023 baseball national championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Hornets became the first ODAC school to make it to the championship series, and after a 7-6 victory over Johns Hopkins on June 8, 2023, the Hornets became the first ODAC school to win a baseball national championship. With two All-Americans on the season and a program and ODAC-record 48 wins, Jones was named the Division III coach of the year by the ABCA. He also led the Hornets to a 10th ODAC title, the first regional championship, and the first super regional championship.
In his first season as skipper, 2018, Jones led Lynchburg to the No. 6 seed in the ODAC tournament, their first appearance in the league championship since the 2014 season. Lynchburg earned another tournament berth in 2019 and was out to an 11-4 start in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic brought an early end to the year. It was Lynchburg's first winning season since 2014.
In 2021, Coach Jones earned the ODAC Coach of the Year Award. He led his 2021 squad to an ODAC Championship and a NCAA Regional Tournament appearance, both were the program's first since 2012. The Hornets set a program record for wins with 36 and boasted an 18-4 conference record during the regular season.
Jones coached two All-Americans in 2021 and had five players named to the All-South Region Team. He had six players earn all-conference honors as well as the ODAC Rookie of the Year and the ODAC Pitcher of the Year.
In 2022, Coach Jones won ODAC Coach of the Year for the second-consecutive season and brought his team to its second-straight NCAA tournament appearance. The Hornets won 36 games for the second-straight time as well. He helped Avery Neaves win the first ODAC Player of the Year award for Lynchburg since 2008, Nick Mattfield win Rookie of the Year, and seven players earn all-conference honors.
A native of Lynchburg and graduate of Heritage High School, Jones was one of the all-time greats in Hornet baseball history. After spending his freshman year at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., Jones came back home to Lynchburg and began an illustrious three-year career as the Hornets' first baseman. He was named ODAC Player of the Year, All-State Player of the Year, South Region Player of the Year, First Team All American, and Lynchburg Male Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2005, also garnering the ODAC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in communications and a sport management minor.
Returning as a graduate student in 2006 to finish out his eligibility, Jones finished his career with the program record for hits in a season (77) and second in career batting average (.426).
He got his start in coaching as a volunteer assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2007, where he earned a master’s in parks, recreation, and sports leadership. The Rams won the Colonial Athletic Association that year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
From there, Jones spent three seasons as an assistant at ODAC rival Randolph-Macon College (2007-10) and three more at George Mason University (2010-13) before taking the head coaching job at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Va. His Patriots posted 77-32 in his two seasons and finished second in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 finals in 2015. The 2014 team took fourth at the regional and he was named the NJCAA Region X Coach of the Year in the same season.
In two seasons at Washington and Lee, Jones’ Generals were 54-28 and won at least one game in the ODAC Tournament each year. He was voted ODAC Coach of the Year by his peers in 2016.
Jones assumed the post at Lynchburg from his mentor, longtime Hornets head coach Percy Abell, who retired from coaching after 20 seasons.
Jones lives in Lynchburg with his wife, Karla, and three children.
Follow Coach Jones on Twitter.
