Get to Know: Reagan Jones
Jan 19, 2024 | Softball
Freshman Reagan Jones joined the Aggies this summer. The Alvin, Texas, native, varsity lettered all four years at Alvin High School. She finished her high school career with three Texas Sports Writers Association All-State Team honors at shortstop, including first team recognition as a senior. In 2023, she set the school home run record with 12 and in her sophomore season she broke the school RBI record with 50.
Get to know one of the newest Aggies below.
What are you looking forward to the most in the 2024 season and what are some team and individual goals?
“I’m looking forward to seeing this level of pitching and playing in this kind of environment, it is a lot different from select and high school ball. I feel like I could be in the dugout more than the field and I am excited to learn what that situation is like since that’s not what it has usually been like for me. It will be a new experience and I will get to learn a lot more.”
You played mostly infield in high school, here you have been playing some catcher as well as infield. How has that transition been learning a new position like catcher?
“It’s really fun, a little hard on my knees not going to lie, but it is really fun back there. I was really surprised when coach Heff asked me to catch, I didn’t think he was serious since he goofs off all the time. He threw me back there and I feel like I am doing well, Julia and Gracyn help me all the time so it is really great having them as coaches.”
How has the experience been being able to learn behind an All-American catcher in Julia Cottrill?
“She has a way of saying things that stick and make sense. I feel like we are the same and we think the same. With her being at that high level and teaching me is cool, because I can follow in those footsteps.”
What were some of the main reasons why you chose to come to Texas A&M?
“When I was five for some reason knew I wanted to be a vet. I grew up around animals, always hunting or fishing and this was always my dream school because of their animal programs. I realized after doing an internship at Vet Med that it was not what I want to do, and that I do not want to go through that much schooling. Now I am trying to figure out what I want to be from there. I’ve always wanted to be a part of the traditions here and wanted to get my education at Texas A&M.”
What has been the hardest transition from high school to college?
“Going from high school to college, I did not know that I was going to be in as many meetings as I am. I didn’t realize how many places that I was going to need to be at one right after the next, so I got lost in that. I also got lost in communication, I felt like everybody, and their mom was trying to talk to me. I said I’d just do it later, but by the end of the week I had around 50 things to answers to. If I could have prepared more, it would have been knowing how many people were going to be reaching out and how much stuff would be going on.”
What are you majoring in and what would be the ultimate career job after you’re done playing softball?
“I am currently switching majors from Zoology to Wildlife Management, so I am in General Studies at the moment. Ultimately, I want to work with animals, and it will probably require me to have a couple of jobs because I have seen that those jobs don’t always pay high. I know I can go into some type of research. I could be a game warden or work at a zoo, or maybe a job on the road dog grooming and getting to travel around.”
After being here in Aggieland for a semester now, is there a favorite restaurant or fast food place that is a go to for you?
“Every time we get red card, I am going straight to Pokeworks. I love me some pokey, that stuff is so good, you have to try it. It is like sushi but in a salad and it’s all thrown into a bowl.”
Outside of softball, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
“I like to fish. I haven’t fished much since I’ve been up here because I’ve been busy. I also paint. I love my little grandma hobbies. I love a good coloring book and a good puzzle. I also just sit there and drink coffee like a grandma would on her front porch. I collect animals, they just keep popping up in my apartment.”
Who is your favorite artist or band and what songs stay stuck in your head?
“Every time I am going to go with Zach Bryan. I don’t have a favorite song, but right now I am stuck with East Side of Sorrow. It was cool seeing Zach play that song live in concert. I did not realize how much I liked it until I heard it live. My favorite song for the longest time was Condemned and he also played that, so I freaked out with the first strum. All of his songs hit, he never misses.”
Over the winter break you went on a trip to the Dominican Republic with other Aggie student-athletes, can you share about that experience and what is something you may never forget from that trip?
“That was quite the experience. The Dominican Republic is very beautiful in itself. The land is just gorgeous, the people are so nice and welcoming. I couldn’t have asked for a better time. We went there to do mission work but at times it felt more like a vacation. While doing mission work, we painted a church. The one thing that stuck with me was when Mikado [Hinson] was talking about divine appointments and how God gives you interactions with people. I went back to our cabin that night and I asked God for a divine appointment. The next morning, he sat me in a house with this lady, and we talked about our lives. It was amazing how she lives in a completely different piece of land than what I touch every day. She is a 30 year old mom with 3 kids, but we have the same life story in a way. Also, my baptism and I got to do it in the Yaque river, and it was cool to experience that along with the other athletes.”
