NORTH ROYALTON - Covid had an effect on the baseball future of Gavin Jones in more ways than one.

For starters, it changed the destination of the third-rated 2022 right-handed pitcher in the state.

“It all started in 2020 February,” Jones reflected. “I had two offers, BG and Ohio U.”

A commitment was made with Ohio. The recruiting process was over.

Or was it?

“They had plans to make their program better, but covid struck and that eventually cut into the budget,” Jones related. “Then OU coach Rob Smith retired. He was the reason I committed there. I didn’t know after that. There was a lot of stress.”

The North Royalton junior made a decision after Smith’s announcement in late January.

“A month or less after he retired I made a call and decommitted,” Jones said. “I didn’t do it publicly … but kept talking to schools I was interested in - ’Bama, Pitt, CIncinnati, Wichita State, BG. Offers started coming in.”

Admittedly, there was some surprise in how it turned out.

“Alabama was the second call I got after decommitting,” Jones noted. “A day or two after that I had a call. Coach (Brad) Bohannon is a great guy. I liked everything about it, the way he was able to talk about the ins and outs of the program, the good and the bad, and the way he hopes to take the program in the right direction.

“Being in the south, it doesn’t get much better. It was like I won the lottery talking with a school in the south … and a big SEC school to boot. I never imagined making that step.”

Hard work during the covid shutdown helped it happen.

“I’ve been a hard thrower my whole life with long arms and long legs,” Jones explained. “When covid started, I started to lift. I watched video on YouTube. We lost out on a lot of fun times so I started using the weight room and I gained 15 pounds. Then this fall and winter I worked with a strength coach, Tyler Mitchell, and with Ben Simon. It helped get me stronger and now I’m 210. I’m able to move better and my velo is now up to 93. I’m much stronger and mobile.”

Jones is also an Alabama commit.

“They’ve never seen me in person, which is crazy,” Jones said of receiving an offer from the SEC school. “They saw me on some video from coaches and with PBR and they liked what I was able to do, adding weight and growing. They like the direction I’m going and I can only get faster on the mound. I’ve gotten better and they expect me to get even better.”

The 79th-rated 2022 right-handed pitcher in the nation is thrilled with the idea of being part of the SEC program.

“I never imagined this,” Jones admitted. “I went to ’Bama, it was a 10-hour drive. Here I am, a kid from up north going to an SEC campus. You walk in and you know it’s big time. You can’t beat it with the great fan support. It’s a step I’m willing to take. I think it was the right move.”

Jones took in a baseball game with Auburn on the trip.

“My dad and I walked around campus and went to a game to see what SEC life was like,” Jones said. “The closer on Auburn came in and ’Bama hit a walk-off. It was crazy to be part of it.”

Alabama, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh were the top three schools under consideration when Jones made it official.

“I weighed my options, I didn’t want to rush anything,” Jones said. “But there wasn’t a much better feeling than when I decided. Coach Bohannon was so excited to have me be part of the team.”

Now the focus is on getting better for Jones, who helped lead North Royalton to the regionals this spring.

“I want to gain more weight and I hope to grow an inch or two so I’m 6-5, 220,” Jones pointed out. “I want to add velo to get into the mid-90s and work on my breaking ball to get it to the next level. That will take my game up.”