Shaking Off the Pain : Long Beach’s Jones Is Back From Injury, but Memory Lingers

LONG BEACH — Marcus Jones is OK now, but the memories remain.

The sophomore pitcher can’t escape recalling the pain and desperation of last season, when he feared his dreams might die. The images reappear almost daily, reminding Jones that life isn’t always fair.

But Jones is tougher for the experience, and no worse for the wear and tear. He has come so far so quickly, and the Long Beach State baseball team wouldn’t be where it is without him: at the top of the Big West Conference.

Top-seeded Long Beach, the Big West regular-season champion, plays fourth-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the first round of the conference tournament at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Fullerton. Jones’ presence is a big part of the 49ers’ optimism. A rib cage problem might prevent Jones from starting the opener, but his coach said it won’t keep him off the mound altogether.

“He’s been our most consistent starter this season,” Coach Dave Snow said. “We knew this was going to be an important year for him because of everything that’s happened to him. He’s been through a lot, and he deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done.”

Jones made it back despite sometimes doubting he could.

The rough road started Feb. 11 during a nonconference game at USC. Running to cover first base on a routine play, Jones tore his Achilles’ tendon and dislocated his left ankle.

“I reached the bag at the same time as the runner, so I tried to sidestep the guy and my left spike got caught in the dirt,” Jones said. “When I shifted, all my weight went to my ankle and that’s when it happened.

“I mean, I’ve probably made that play a million times without any problems. It really wasn’t very good looking.”

But it was serious. Jones’ season ended right there, after only two starts and seven innings.

Then the real problems began. Jones’ ankle was placed in a cast for six weeks that, expectedly, severely limited his mobility. At 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, Jones has a lot to move.

And he was a less than an ideal patient during rehabilitation therapy.

“I hated it--I hated sitting out,” Jones said. “[The cast] made it really hard getting around school. The whole thing was really tough, and I didn’t handle it real well.”

Self-doubt was another problem. Jones had struggled as a freshman, going 2-3 with a 6.12 earned-run average in 14 games and nine starts.

That wasn’t what the 49ers’ coaches expected when they signed Jones after a standout career at Esperanza High, which he led to the Southern Section Division I championship as a senior. Then the injuries ruined last season.

Naturally, Jones wondered, “Why me?” But he didn’t quit.

“I was in the training room every day,” Jones said. “I tried to get back last season, but I kept having pain in this one spot in my ankle.”

The pain eventually stopped, and Jones was ready to pitch again by summertime. He pitched well in the Alaska League.

“That was important,” Snow said. “That helped him get over the mental barrier and showed him he could be OK again. So what he had to do this season is work on the nitty gritty of developing to become a better pitcher.”

The results are impressive, those paid to know such things explain.

“He’s done a great job,” Nevada Coach Gary Powers said. “When you have a guy who throws 92 [mph], with good off-speed stuff and a good idea of what he’s doing, well, he’s going to be pretty effective at this level.”

Jones leads the Big West with a 2.25 ERA. He is second with 107 strikeouts and tied for second in victories at 9-3.

Jones excelled during the conference season. He was 6-0 with a 1.30 ERA in six starts. He had four complete games with two shutouts, and struck out 74 in 55 1/3 innings.

In the 49ers’ biggest game to that point this season, Jones pitched a complete game to defeat the Titans, 4-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Blair Field April 26. The 49ers won two games, taking control of the conference race for good.

“He got tougher as the game went on,” Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido said. “He made the pitches when he needed to.”

That’s been the pattern, finally.

“I feel really good about the way I’ve performed,” Jones said. “I know a lot of people are probably surprised, but I always thought I had it in me.”

Despite all of his success, Jones can’t shake those painful images.

“The whole thing plays over and over in my mind,” he said. “Every time there’s a close play at first, whenever I see somebody go to the bag. It’s still hard, but it’s a lot easier now.”