ELLISVILLE – Nine members off Jones College's 2026 NJCAA Region 23 Baseball Championship squad have signed to continue their athletic and academic careers at four-year institutions.
The nine signees are part of a class that helped lead the Bobcats to a 41-18 record and first national tournament appearance since 2016.
Of the 11 sophomores on this year's roster, eight signed with four-year schools.
The latest class increases sixth-year head coach
Wes Thigpen's total number of players who have moved on to four-year programs to 43 during his tenure, including 30 over the last three seasons.
Pitcher
Colton Smith inked with Louisiana Tech, P/INF
Chase Russell with Louisiana-Monroe, P
Caden Freeman to Delta State, P
Drew Lambert to Charleston Southern, UTIL
Dylan Champagne to 2026 NCAA National Champion Oklahoma, P
Josh Lee, C
Walker Long and INF
Talan Theriot all signed with William Carey and OF
Chesley Rhodes is heading to Belhaven University.
Smith, a sophomore right-handed pitcher from Bossier City, Louisiana, earned Second Team All-MACCC honors after serving as the Bobcats' top starter throughout the season.
He finished 2025 with an 11-3 record, five complete games, a 3.29 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 109.1 innings pitched. Smith also won all three of his postseason starts, earning victories in the Poplarville Regional, Ellisville Super Regional and NJCAA Division II World Series. For his Jones career, Smith compiled a 14-6 record with a 3.66 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 150 innings across 30 appearances.
Russell earned Second Team All-MACCC honors and was named to the CSC Academic All-America At-Large Team before signing with Louisiana-Monroe.
One of the Bobcats' top two-way performers, Russell hit .371 with a team-leading 15 home runs, 63 runs scored and a .701 slugging percentage. He also collected 14 doubles and tied for the team lead with 70 RBIs.
On the mound, Russell logged 47 innings, posting a 4-2 record and one save during his sophomore campaign.
Freeman will continue his pitching career at Delta State after two seasons with the Bobcats.
The right-hander appeared in 41 innings during his Jones career and was especially effective as a freshman, posting a 0.79 ERA over 22 innings pitched. Freeman finishes his career with a 4-4 record and 12 saves, including a freshman season in which he tied for the national lead in saves.
Lambert is headed to Charleston Southern following a productive sophomore season on the mound.
He pitched 61 innings and struck out 64 batters while recording three complete games, including two shutouts. During his two seasons at Jones, Lambert accumulated 88 innings pitched and 84 strikeouts.
Champagne signed with reigning NCAA Division I national champion Oklahoma after an outstanding freshman season with the Bobcats.
A Second Team All-MACCC selection, Champagne batted .384 with 78 hits, 21 doubles and 43 RBIs. He also stole 11 bases in 13 attempts.
Defensively, Champagne showcased his versatility by playing shortstop, third base and catcher while posting a .956 fielding percentage.
Lee went 6-2 with a 4.08 ERA and recorded 64 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched as a freshman. An injury sidelined him during his sophomore season.
Long will join Lee at William Carey following two seasons at Jones. After redshirting in 2025 due to an injury, Long contributed at first base during his redshirt-sophomore campaign. He appeared in 15 games and had a pair of doubles, four RBIs and a perfect fielding percentage in seven chances.
Theriot also signed with William Carey after appearing in more than 100 games during his Jones career.
A CSC Academic All-District as a freshman, Theriot finished his two seasons with a .305 batting average, 102 hits, 92 runs scored and 46 RBIs. He also stole 21 bases during his Bobcat career.
Rhodes rounds out the group of Bobcats moving on to four-year programs, signing with Belhaven University.
A reserve outfielder during his two seasons at Jones, Rhodes recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and finished his career with 14 putouts.
