ELLISVILLE – Jones College men's tennis produced a conference, region and individual national champion in 2025.
Tenth-year head coach
Brooks Buffington expects another strong performance this spring.
"Our men's team is strong again this year," he said. "We had the most difficulty this year with visa denials but were finally able to pick up a third international guy. By picking him up, we should be able to compete for another MACCC and NJCAA Region 23 championship. We should be able to compete for a top five national finish as well since Division II is coming back. I am optimistic about this year's team and look forward to seeing what they can do."
The Bobcats went 19-5 last season and captured their fourth straight MACCC and second straight Region 23 title.
Matias Ruiz became the first Mississippi player to win a national title, capturing the No. 1 singles crown at the NJCAA DI Tournament in Florence, S.C. Jones finished 12th in the national tournament for the second straight year.
Jones return five players from last year, including sophomores
Tom Garrett (Australia),
Ridge Jones (Northeast Jones),
Ryan Roth (Resurrection Catholic),
Reese Touchet (Madison Central) and
Luke Westmoreland (Grenada).
"We return many important players that will play a huge role for us," Buffington said. "Tom, who clinched the region title for us last year, has been playing well and will be a bigtime player for us. Ridge had another good fall. He is such a competitor and a hard worker. Over the Christmas break he ran two half marathons in one week. The mental discipline it takes to do that is tough and I'm glad to have that toughness on our team. Reese also had a good fall and continued to play well after the ITA. He has a big game and has gained more consistency playing it which has made him level up and become an even tougher competitor.
"Luke is one of the hardest on court working guys that I've had. He is a court rat. There aren't many practices that finish where I don't see him hitting after. He clinched the MACCC title for us last year through his consistency and I expect to see the same from him this year. Ryan is the definition of an athlete. He is physical and a lefty which makes him difficult to play. He is also a great guy who you can count on to do the right thing. I look forward to seeing what he does this spring for us."
Incoming freshmen will be
Juan Francisco Pereyra (Argentina),
Felipe Morales (Ecuador),
Crews Cockrell (West Jones) and
Nicholas Marengo (Forrest County AHS).
"Juan a lot of shot making ability," Buffington said. "He is quiet and has high expectations for himself on the court, as he should. He grew a lot in the fall especially by becoming more comfortable on the hard court. He has the ability to be one of the best players in our league. Felipe is a transfer player that we were fortunate to pick up last minute. He is a grinder who will be a tough competitor.
"Crews was one if not the most improved player on our squad this fall. He has made vast improvement and I expect him to continue to do so this spring. Nick was a spring pickup that appears to have the ability to be a solid player. Last semester, he missed being away from tennis and we are happy to have him joining this semester. I look forward to seeing the improvement that he should make throughout the spring."
The Bobcats have gone 140-44 in Buffington's tenure with four straight conference titles. He credits the players with the program's success.
"The quality of guys that we have on this team and teams in the past are what makes us so special," he said. "Every year we have players come in who have the ability, are willing to work and are hungry to compete. They also enjoy being around each other."
In the MACCC this season, Buffington expects Mississippi Gulf Coast to provide a major challenge.
"MGCCC should be our toughest competition this year again," he said. "They have one of the strongest teams I've seen them have with their Mississippi players. I highly look forward to that match and seeing how both sides handle the pressure of a big match. It's typically a fun match to be a part of and I'm excited about going to battle with my guys."
Jones opens the season at home on Jan. 29 vs. Bevill State.
The region tournament will be April 16-18 at the site of the conference champion.
The national tournament will be May 11-15 in Plano, Texas.
