Taos Jones named Division II Softball Coach of the Year
Taos Jones of Gravette is the All-NWADG Division II Softball Coach of the Year.
■ SCHOOL: Gravette
■ THE SCOOP: Jones was sitting at home listening to the Gravette girls basketball state tournament game when he heard star sophomore pitcher Callie Kildow was injured. Jones said he hoped the injury was an ankle sprain, but it turned out to be a season-ending broken leg. But Jones rallied the team and put together a stellar season that ended with a loss in the Class 4A state semifinals. … Gravette won the 4A-1 Conference tournament as a No. 3 seed and edged defending state champion Pottsville in the 4A-North regional championship 5-4 in 8 innings. … Gravette posted a 23-7 record on a team built primarily of underclassmen, led by sophomore leadoff hitter Gabbi Scott and sophomore pitcher Bailey Elmore.
■ DID YOU KNOW: Jones is an avid fisherman on the rivers and streams in the area during the offseason.
■ QUOTABLE: “It’s one of those things that the show has to go on. You can’t spend too much time thinking about that; you’ve just got to pick up and go on. That’s what these kids did. We had some kids waiting in the wings. Bailey (Elmore) was just waiting for her opportunity. We knew that we were going to go with our number two and number three pitchers a lot more this season anyway, that was the plan going in. It just happened a little quicker than what we expected,” said Jones on how the team responded to Callie Kildow’s seasonending injury.