School: Plano East

Taylor Jones

What she did: Jones was 5-for-6 with a double and two triples as Plano East (25-5-2) eliminated Rowlett, No. 22 in the state in Class 5A, last week in bi-district. Jones was involved in all five Plano East runs in the two-game sweep. On Thursday, she drove in a pair to tie the score and then scored the go-ahead run. On Friday, she scored twice. As a pitcher, she allowed one earned run and struck out 11 in the series.

The stats: She is hitting .455 (46-for-101) with six doubles, four triples, one home run and 29 RBIs. Her slugging percentage is .624. She has a 0.60 ERA with 184 strikeouts and a 22-3 record. Her only three losses were to Plano West and Plano (twice).

Who is she? Jones is a junior pitcher and third baseman. She was named the utility player of the year in District 9-5A last season.

She said it: "I knew this team [Rowlett] was really good. I knew I had to play the best I could to take care of business."

Coach said it: "She is a fiery girl for us. Everybody likes her, but she is here to play and play hard. That's why we're very lucky to have her." – Karen Kalhoefer

Did you know? Jones plays select softball with Texas Glory Lutz. ... She loves playing Guitar Hero. "It's better than a regular video game. It makes me feel like a rock star." ... She hopes to become a teacher for deaf students. She learned sign language at school last year. ... She works as a host for seafood restaurant on Sundays. ... Her favorite movie is A League of their Own, and the last book she read was To Kill a Mockingbird.