Charlie Jones: Winner of the Adrenaline Week 5 Player of the Week award
RUMSON, N.J. — Charlie Jones was the starting pitcher for two of the biggest wins that occurred in the season for any team in the Shore Conference. The junior right-handed pitcher played seven innings against Red Bank Catholic pitcher Shane Panzini, who is also a Major League Baseball draft pick. Jones allowed just one hit during the game and, although he did not receive credit for the victory, the Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs managed to win 3-1 in extra innings.
One of his most dazzling performances came against the Jackson Memorial Jaguars, where Jones pitched the entire game allowing only three hits. The Bulldog offense could plate five runs in the top of the fifth inning to knock off Jackson Memorial, who scored only two runs in the sixth and seventh innings. With a 5-2 score, the Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament.
Owen Stewart, coach of the Bulldogs, assured fans that Jones just wanted the ball.
“It doesn’t matter what the situation is, he thinks he’s the best guy to have the ball,” Coach Steward said back in May 2021. “He thinks he’s the best guy to hit for us too, most of the time. He just has this ultimate confidence that he came out with this year that I don’t know if he had as a freshman a couple years ago. He has really grabbed the reins and has been our guy.”
Stewart added that he did a great job mentally to be ready to play again.
“He stayed ready, did some throwing in the dugout and got back out there and went back to work,” the Bulldogs coach said.
Jones is known for his curveball, as it is his best pitch. He admitted that a game like the one he had against Jackson Memorial, where he could throw a lot of curveballs, was best. He also commented that the Jaguars’ pitcher, Matt Potok, is a stud.
“The fact that we were able to put five runs across against him is almost unbelievable,” Jones said. “As a pitcher, it’s a relief, but you can’t believe you have a 5-0 lead. I told myself that I was losing, 5-0, just so I kept my edge and stayed shoving.”
Jones compared the game to a similar situation earlier in the season.
“It was the same mentality as when we faced Panzini, which is that we are underdogs,” he said. “They are the best team on the coast, they are throwing their aces, and we think we are between a rock and a hard place and have nothing to lose.”
The junior pitcher also picked up a victory for his team with a 5-3 win over Central Regional. These were the three ranked teams Jones managed to beat with the Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs.
After these performances, Jones collected 21% of the votes to win the Adrenaline Week 5 Player of the Week award, beating Freehold Boro’s Nick Terefenko and Jackson Liberty’s Chris Sasso, who were tied for second place with 15% of the votes.
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