John Simmons

Liberty Athletics Baseball Media Day on November 29th, 2023. (Photo by Cassidy Paxton)

Class:
Sophomore
Position:
INF
Bats/Throws:
L/R
Height:
6-0
Weight:
185
Prev School:
Liberty Christian Academy
Hometown:
Forest, Va.

2024

Played in 41 games with 27 starts
Started 21 games at first base, four games at third base and two games as the designated hitter
Hit .294 with 22 RBI and 20 runs scored
Had five doubles, two triples and six home runs
Walked 15 times, posting a .405 on-base percentage and .559 slugging percentage
Doubled and scored a run as a pinch hit against Hofstra (2/25)
Hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in a 25-9 victory at Middle Tennessee (3/24)
Had a two-run double versus Duke (4/2)
Belt a solo home run in a 15-5 win at New Mexico State (4/6)
Went 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored in a 12-6 victory over Jacksonville State (4/14)
Was 2-for -3 with a triple and a run scored at Western Kentucky (4/19)
Went 2-for-2 with a home run and walked at Virginia (4/23)
Had a double and a home run, knocking in four runs and scoring two in a 14-9 win over Campbell (5/1)
Went 2-for-3 with two walks and scored a run against FIU (5/3)
Collected two hits, one a home run, and walked, knocking in one run and scoring three in a 13-8 victory over Virginia Tech (5/8)
Went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk, three RBI, a stolen base and a run scored against Louisiana Tech in Game 14 of the CUSA Baseball Championship (5/25)

2023

Named to the ASUN All-Tournament team
Played in 33 games with 28 starts
Started 14 games at second base and 14 games at third base
Hit .220 with 17 RBI and 18 runs scored
Had three doubles, two triples and two home runs
Walked 20 times and posted a .379 on-base percentage
Had two hits and an RBI in a 4-0 victory at Winthrop (2/24)
Went 2-for-3 with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored in an 18-8 win over Jacksonville State (5/7)
Collected two hits and scored two runs in a 15-12 victory at Eastern Kentucky (5/13)
Had a two-run triple in a 6-1 win at Eastern Kentucky (5/14)
Drove in five runs with two hits, one a grand slam, and scored twice in a 12-11 victory over Lipscomb in pool play at the 2023 ASUN Baseball Championship (5/23)
Collected two hits, a double and a home run, walked, drove in four runs and scored three against FGCU in pool play at the 2023 ASUN Baseball Championship (5/26)

Prep

Graduate from Liberty Christian Academy
Hit .449 with 21 RBI and 41 runs scored in his junior year
National Honor Society member
Earned academic honors each of his four years

Personal

Son of Joyce and John Simmons
Majoring in exercise science
Birthday is June 21

Student-Athlete Q&A
What made Liberty University the right place for you to attend college/compete at the collegiate level?
Liberty offers everything an athlete could want while providing a Christian education.

Who in your life inspires you and why are they such an inspiration?
My dad inspires me because he always supports me in what I do on and off the field. He pushes me to do my very best in everything that I set out to do.

What is your most memorable athletic moment/accomplishment?
Hitting my first college homerun during the conference tournament to give us the lead against Lipscomb.

Do you have any relatives who are playing or have played college or professional sports? (Names, relation to you, what/where they played)?
Kenzie is my cousin, and she plays Softball at Emory and Henry, my dad played baseball at Bridgewater College, and Dakota is my cousin and he played lacrosse at Norwich.

Favorite meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and what is that special meal?
My favorite meal is dinner and my favorite thing to eat is blackened chicken Alfredo.

What is the first app you check on your phone each day?
I check my iMessages in the morning.

What is your favorite hobby outside of athletics?
Fishing and hunting

Do you have any current pets (name and type of animal)?
I have a chocolate lab named Billy.

Who was your favorite athlete growing up?
Manny Machado

What is your favorite possession and why?
My truck because I love to drive.

What is your Go-To karaoke song?
Take me Home Country Roads

What is your dream vacation spot and why?
My dream vacation spot is Alaska. I would love to hike there and have "close" encounters with the various big game animals there.