Shelby Jones to play at St. Petersburg College

  • Surrounded by her teammates, Shelby Jones (front row third from right) signs her letter of intent to play softball at St. Petersburg College. PHOTO/AMANDA WATFORD
    Surrounded by her teammates, Shelby Jones (front row third from right) signs her letter of intent to play softball at St. Petersburg College. PHOTO/AMANDA WATFORD

Another Osceola High School softball player has signed to play at the next level.

At a press conference at the school last week, pitcher Shelby Jones signed to play college softball for St. Petersburg College, a two-year school. Jones said upon graduation, she hopes to continue to play at Florida Tech – a Division II school in Melbourne.

Jones has been a mainstay in the Osceola lineup since her freshman year – where she recorded a 9-3 record with 73 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA as the team’s number two starter. As a junior last year, she was 10-7 with a 2.03 ERA and a career-high 138 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched.

“No player has a better work ethic than Shelby Jones,” Osceola Head Coach Miranda Watford said. “She comes early, leaves late and still wants to practice on her days off. That attitude and work ethic will serve her well at the next level.” Heading into midweek,

Heading into midweek, Jones is off to another great start as a senior. She is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts, striking out 12 and not allowing a hit in six innings of work, as Osceola defeated Tohopekaliga, 15-0, and Ridge High School, 8-0, in their first two games. She also is two for two at the plate with a pair of RBI.

St. Petersburg plays in the highly competitive Suncoast Conference with Hillsborough Community College, Florida Southwestern College, Polk State College, State College of Florida and South Florida State College.

In making her announcement, Jones said St. Petersburg was a, “great fit for me. I wanted to stay and be able to play close to home and St. Petersburg gives me that opportunity.”