How good was Kyle Jones on Opening Weekend? He went 7-for-13 with five doubles to set the tone at the top of the order. (Photo: Senay Kennon/UAA Communications)
From Sling to Sparkplug: Kyle Jones Returns Hot
Sunday, February 15, 2026 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Share:
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — He was a missing ingredient, that additional spice that could have given the Florida lineup some zing at the top of the order.
Instead, center fielder Kyle Jones spent most of the season walking around with his surgically repaired left shoulder in a sling. A transfer from Stetson following his freshman season, Jones played in four games over two weeks, sidelined first by a hamstring injury, and then, as he dove for a ball in the series opener against Miami, a season-ending shoulder injury.
Tom Slater, Florida's associate head coach who filled in for Kevin O'Sullivan in the three-game series against UAB, was a member of the Phillies' player development system this time a year ago. But Slater has been around the game for decades and knows a talented prospect when he sees one.
"When you're looking at that guy, you're going, 'true center fielder with speed and high contact rate,' " Slater said following Florida's doubleheader sweep of the Blazers on Saturday. "That bodes pretty well for him."
It boded well for the Gators on Saturday.
In each game, Jones got ahead in the count before leading off with a double in the top of the first. He stroked a double down the left-field line in Game 1 off UAB starter Braxton Shelton, and scored two batters later when Cade Kurland hit a two-run homer. Florida scored nine runs in the frame in its 11-0 victory. In the Gators' 6-1 win in Game 2, Jones worked the count to 3-1 against Blazers starter Chase Ingram before driving a pitch to right-center for a leadoff double. The next batter, Brendan Lawson, slammed a two-run homer, and the Gators were on their way to a season-opening series win.
Sophomore right-hander Aidan King, who won the first game by pitching six shutout innings, put it succinctly when asked what Jones' long-term impact could mean for a UF team that opened the season ranked 13th nationally.
"What he did today,'' King said. "He hits it very well. He runs balls down continuously, his speed on the base paths. I mean, he brings his A game every time."
Center fielderKyle Jones tracks a play in Florida's season-opening series against UAB. (Photo: Senay Kennon/UAA Communications)
Jones had a splendid series, going 7-for-13 with five doubles, four runs and three RBI. That's called leading the charge. He was 5-for-8 with four doubles in Saturday's doubleheader, showcasing the talent that earned him Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year two seasons ago for the Hatters.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Jones is apparently a late bloomer based on his recruitment. When he was coming out of North Oconee (Ga.) High, he received two scholarship offers: Kennesaw State and Stetson. He opted to play out of state and signed with Stetson, where he started 62 games and hit .354 with five homers and 32 RBI. He scored a team-high 53 runs, punched 15 doubles and stole 23 bases.
Hello, transfer portal.
The Gators signed him and plugged him into the leadoff spot on Opening Day. Jones did what he does, going 2-for-4 with a double against Air Force. But as he tried to stretch a double into a triple, he suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to the bench for nine days. He returned in time for a trip back to Stetson, but three days after that game, Jones was hurt against the Hurricanes and became a spectator.
He relished the opportunity to start anew with the Gators.
"I was very, very excited. Something that I haven't been able to do for a very, very long time,'' he said. "It was like eight, nine months until I actually got to step back out on the field. It was something that I've had marked on the calendar for a very, very long time."
In the small sample size from a year ago, Jones went 5-for-16. He needed only Saturday's doubleheader to match that production.
"It was the same thing," King said. "It's like he's never left."
Slater is a veteran hitting instructor with stints working for the Yankees, Mets, Marlins and Phillies. If Jones continues to set the pace as he did against UAB, life will be much easier for the rest of the lineup.
Sure, it's only three games, but Jones has the tools and consistency that project well atop the order.
"Kyle's doing a great job for us in that leadoff hole. I mean, that's just outstanding. He was in a really good spot all weekend. Swung the bat really, really well. He's worked really hard. It's just gonna put the pitcher in the stretch from Jump Street, and get a chance for Law [Lawson] to get in there behind him and do some things."
What Jones did to open the season seemed a lifetime away from when he sat alone in his truck a year ago after doctors told him he needed surgery. Jones needed time to reflect on the road ahead.
He took the steps necessary to get back on the field and took his cuts against the Blazers.
"I love finally getting to be out there and go help my team, and not look out from the dugout," he said. "I'm just very thankful and very blessed that all the trainers and everybody that helped me get back out there. I mean, it happened, but I think I thank them for getting me prepared and getting me ready."
And Jones is back in form at the perfect time — the Gators head to Stetson for a Tuesday night road game against the Hatters.
He'll be roaming familiar territory at Conrad Park and have a chance to visit a few old acquaintances. When they ask how he is doing, he'll only need two words: "I'm back."
"I love getting to go back here,'' he said. "I spent a lot of time there. Love everything that they did to help me through my career."
The Gators might want to bring a "thank you" card after the way Jones started the season.
