Ivy Jones, a 2029 shortstop from Ellicott City, Maryland, plays on the Stars National 14U team based in Florida.

The willingness to travel that far to play should give an idea of how dedicated the junior high player is to improving her athletic skills… which is not just limited to softball, but also includes volleyball where she plays on a travel ball team.

Regarding her travels in fastpitch alone, Ivy—who was ranked No. 72 in last year’s initial 2029 Line Drive HOT 100—has played in the USA 12U All-American Games in Oklahoma City, The Softball Factory Rookie Preseason All-American Games in Texas and a Premier Girls Fastpitch tournament in Florida, just to name a few.

And she doesn’t just show up on the field, she excels. Last year, Ivy batted .381 and was tops on her team with a .554 on-base percentage and in runs scored (19) and steals (11).

All of those athletic travels don’t stop her from shining in the classroom, either, as Ivy has a 3.5 GPA and is an Honor Roll student taking Math and Spanish for high school credit although she’s just an 8^th grader.

Her Stars head coach, Eileen Hannigan, raves about her standout infielder when she says:

“Ivy is a true utility athlete who is only beginning to understand what her abilities are.  She has an exit velo of 72 mph, runs a 2.9 home to first, and was named a USA Softball HPP Top Performer for the U13 age group. Ivy also has power to all fields, plays the left side of the field with confidence while still learning that she doesn’t have limits on her range and can also play a strong centerfield.”

She’ll be a name softball fans will be hearing much over the next few years and here are 10 interesting facts about the young athlete showing how hard she works…

*****

10 Things to Know About Ivy Jones

1 – She plays club volleyball with The Columbia Volleyball Academy 14 National team and is trained and certified by Maryland Youth Sports Officials to umpire recreation softball and baseball games.

2 – Ivy has attended the Women’s College World Series Championship Series in Oklahoma City the last three years.

3 – The infielder’s club coaching staff has strong college experience as Head Coach Eileen Hannigan is a former D1 catcher and Power 4 Coach, and Assistant Coach Jordan Roberts is a former University of Florida catcher and current professional with Athletes Unlimited. 

4 – She has many top schools following her on X/Twitter including Duke, Georgia, Penn State, Texas, Clemson, Missouri, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky to name a few.

5 – Ivy drives four hours roundtrip to New Jersey two-to-four times a month for “Rake Sessions” (batting lessons) with renowned hitting expert Rob Crews.

6 – The junior high shortstop is 5-foot-8 already as a 13-year-old.

7 – Ivy has worked with outfield guru Andre Butler, the owner of Graveyard Mentality and 2023 Coach of the Year with USA Baseball, for the last two years. The young athlete receives lessons before his baseball camps so that they can focus specifically on softball. She will also attend his softball camps whenever he hosts one within a four-hour driving radius. 

8 – She is a graduate of the program for Mental Performance Training with Jenny D. Mindset and has attended multiple High Level Throwing Clinics with Austin Wasserman. 

9 – Ivy has attended softball camps at schools from all of the P4 conferences—SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and has received camp invitations from many other D1 programs.

10 – The Maryland-based athlete has played competitive softball in 13 states including Texas and Florida.