2015 Baseball Roster
Jersey Number 4
Kelly Norris-Jones
- Ht./Wt.:
- 5-11 / 180
- Position:
- C
- Hometown:
- Victoria, British Columbia
- High School:
- Lambrick Park Secondary
Redshirt-Senior - 2015
- Played in 16 games and started three times at catcher
- Recorded first triple of career vs. Eastern Illinois (4/21) to go along with a career-best three RBI
- Recorded first hit, RBI and run against USF (3/20) and made first career appearance at first base
- Caught Drasen Johnson’s complete game vs. Southern Illinois (3/14)
- Caught Rob McDonnell’s Big Ten Pitcher of the Week performance vs. New Mexico State (2/14)
- Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
- Academic All-Big Ten
Redshirt-Junior - 2014
- Played in 20 games and made 13 starts, including seven at designated hitter and six at catcher
- Started in seven of Illinois' final 10 games as the designated hitter
- Hit .204 with five runs, five RBI and four doubles
- Collected two hits and a run against Ohio State (5/22) in the Big Ten Tournament
- Had a double, stolen base and run against Michigan State (5/4)
- Notched a pinch-hit RBI single against Southern Illinois (4/30)
- Posted a double and a run at Northwestern (4/4)
- Went 2-for-4 with a run and a double at Western Kentucky (3/8)
- Drew two walks vs. Connecticut (2/23) and at Nebraska (5/17)
- Had a hit and RBI in his first start of the season at Georgia State (2/15)
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Played for the Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League during the summer
Redshirt-Sophomore - 2013
- Started 13 games at catcher and appeared in 23 games
- Hit .167 with two doubles, three runs and four RBI
- Matched a season high by going 2-for-3 vs. Minnesota (5/24) in the Big Ten Tournament
- Tallied second RBI double of season at Illinois State (4/16)
- Notched first extra-base hit in game two of the doubleheader vs. Nebraska (3/23), tallying a two-out, two-run double
- Started at catcher in the second game of the doubleheader at Baylor (3/9), going 2-for-4 with a run scored
- Made first start of the season vs. New Mexico State (2/23) and also started vs. Houston Baptist (3/2) and at Southern Ilinois (3/16)
- Had a pinch-hit RBI in the season-opening victory at Tennessee Tech (2/15)
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Played for the Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods League during the summer
Redshirt-Freshman - 2012
- Played in 46 games, starting 45 at catcher
- Hit .266 with five doubles and 14 RBIs on the season
- Hit .375 with runners on base and reached base at a .353 rate when leading off an inning
- Tied for sixth in the Big Ten in times hit by a pitch (11)
- Hit .310 in Big Ten play, third-best on the team
- Hit .500 with runners in scoring position in Big Ten play
- Had a team-best .442 average at home
- Recorded a career-best eight-game hitting streak from March 30-April 10
- Had his first career multiple-hit game against No. 27 St. John's (2/19)
- Had his first career three-hit game against Ohio State (4/20), going 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs
- Went 5-for-11 in the OSU series
- Academic All-Big Ten selection
- Played for the Derby Twins of the Jayhawk League during the summer
Freshman - 2011
- Redshirted the 2011 season
- Played for the Kelowna Falcons of the West Coast League during the summer.
High School
- Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 50th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft
- Hit .241 for the Victoria Mariners of the British Columbia Premier Baseball League, the top U-18 baseball league in British Columbia, in 2010
- Also compiled a .365 OBP with 12 runs and 13 RBIs in 79 at bats during the 2010 season
- Led Team British Columbia to the gold medal at the 2009 Canada Cup, earning recognition as the top catcher in the tournament
- Named the 2009 first-team All-Conference catcher for the Mariners
- Hit .272, which ranked third among regular players on the Mariners, and compiled a .392 on-base percentage in 2009
- Played in the Canadian Junior National Team fall instructional league camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports facility in Orlando, Fla., in 2009 and 2010.
Personal
- Born March 17, 1992
- Parents are Brad Norris-Jones and Lynette Tisdale
- Has one brother, Kaelin, and five sisters: Lanza, Lexus, Elyse, Brookelyn and Rachelle
- Majoring in recreation, sport and tourism with a concentration in sport and recreation management
- His earliest baseball memory is winning the Little League Provincials at age 10
- Favorite athlete is Canadian and current Major League catcher Russell Martin because Martin's pro career makes Norris-Jones strive to get there
Illini Baseball | 03.18.25 Cinematic Recap vs. Indiana State
Wednesday, March 19
ILLINI BASE | Head Coach Dan Hartleb Availability (2/12/25)
Thursday, February 13
Illini Athletics | Week of Appreciation Coaches Video Dan Hartleb
Monday, December 09
Illini Baseball | Team IMPACT Signing
Friday, September 22
