Baseball Hires Jones as Director of Ops, Promotes Keister to Expanded Role
7/30/2026 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide announced a pair of staff updates for the 2026-27 season on Thursday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On Thursday, Alabama head baseball coach Rob Vaughn announced two staffing changes for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Joey Jones, who most recently served in a similar role at South Alabama, has replaced Jenny Sanders as the Crimson Tide's Director of Operations. As well, Kevin Keister has been elevated from a graduate assistant to a Player Development Assistant.
Jones, a former player at South Alabama, functioned as the Jaguars' Director of Operations for six seasons (2020-2025) prior to his hire at Alabama. The Alabama native replaces Sanders, who has transitioned into an academic role at UA after four seasons as the Tide's Director of Operations.
"I am so thrilled to welcome Joey and his wife Hannah and his two little ones to Tuscaloosa," said Vaughn. "There were several names that came up in the process, but everything kept pointing back to Joey. After spending five minutes on the phone with him, I knew he was our guy. I'm looking forward to his family making Tuscaloosa home."
Jones lettered three years for the Jaguars from 2015-17 as a left-handed pitcher, helping to lead the program to consecutive NCAA Regional appearances (2016-17) as well as two Sun Belt Conference championships (2015-16) and one Sun Belt Conference Tournament title (2017). Prior to his playing career at South Alabama, Jones lettered for two years at Lawson State (Ala.) Community College in Birmingham. Jones also served as a graduate assistant for two seasons at South Alabama (2018-19) before being named Director of Operations.
He earned a bachelor's degree in sport management from South Alabama in 2016 and received a master's degree in sport management from USA in 2018. Jones comes to Tuscaloosa with his wife, Hannah, and his two daughters, Elle and Molly.
A former player at Maryland under Coach Vaughn, Keister has been promoted to Player Development Assistant after spending the past two seasons as a graduate assistant with the Tide. A former First Team All-Big Ten infielder, Keister will lend his expertise to aiding the development of Alabama's hitting and infield groups.
"I recruited Kevin years ago at the University of Maryland, and it is awesome to see his development from an elite player to an outstanding coach," Vaughn added. "He's relentless, tough, and everything that we embody here at the University of Alabama. His knowledge with hitters and infielders is something that is going to continue to allow our boys to excel and be the best versions of themselves. I'm fired up to be able to promote Kevin into this new role."
Keister was a standout with the Terrapins from 2021-24, posting a career .280 average with 43 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs, 130 RBI in 189 career games, as the Delaware native's 118 career walks are third-most in Maryland baseball program history. Keister received First Team All-Big Ten recognition as a sophomore with the Terps, managing an impressive .317 average to go with 15 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 44 RBI and a career-best .582 slugging percentage.
