Christian Jackson set some lofty private targets heading into his senior season of highschool baseball. It’s one thing he has been doing his whole baseball profession, however this season he raised the bar seemingly as excessive because it may go.
“I set targets earlier than each season and I attempt to attain them,” Jackson stated. “They only assist my recreation out.”
The 2-way Dutchtown Excessive Faculty star wished to hit at the least .450, a threshold he cleared with a .477 batting common. He wished to steal 30 bases in his workforce’s 27-game common season schedule, and he neared that mark, ending with 28.
And for his workforce, his purpose of reaching the Class AAAAA state playoffs got here up simply quick with a fifth-place end in Area 4-AAAAA.
“Christian has been having an amazing season each offensively and defensively,” Dutchtown head baseball coach Brandon Carter stated. “Offensively he’s led the workforce in batting common, accumulating over 40 hits on the season along with main the workforce in stolen bases. In my three years at Dutchtown he’s been certainly one of our main gamers, however this season he has taken it to a different stage.”
Jackson spends most of his time on protection rotating between shortstop and the outfield, positions he enjoys taking part in for the alternative ways they permit him to make an influence on any given recreation.
“I might say I like infield higher,” Jackson stated. “(It’s) simply extra motion and also you’re extra concerned within the recreation. I like outfield as a result of I can monitor the ball higher and use my pace extra. Pace is one thing I work on daily with my coach.”
However for all the pieces Jackson has achieved each within the batter’s field and on protection, he had another huge day up his sleeve that no one else may have seen coming when he took the mound April 12 towards Eagle’s Touchdown.
No one aside from Jackson himself.
“I’m at all times assured in my recreation,” he stated about his mentality going into the beginning. “Earlier than the sport I used to be throwing good, and I used to be feeling good. I knew it was going to be a superb recreation.”
Jackson didn’t give up successful in 5 innings, recording strikeouts for 12 out of the 15 outs. And due to his offense placing up 10 runs and ending the sport early because of the 10-run rule, Jackson formally had the one no-hitter of the season in Area 4-AAAAA.
“I locked in that final inning,” Jackson recalled. “I used to be simply throwing just about all fastballs the entire recreation, they usually just about weren’t hitting it the entire recreation. I used to be simply going proper at them. I’ve pitched loads all through highschool, however that’s not likely my major factor. It felt good to have a no-hitter.”
Whereas Jackson’s highschool baseball profession has drawn to a detailed, it won’t be the tip of the street for him on the diamond. Jackson has dedicated to play baseball at Georgia State, the place his older brother Terrell Frazier appeared in 81 video games throughout 4 seasons as an outfielder.
“It was a bit rocky for me,” Jackson stated concerning the recruiting course of. “Particularly when COVID hit. Coaches couldn’t come out for a complete 12 months and a half principally. I dedicated on the finish of my junior 12 months, and it was sort of sluggish for me, however I made the suitable resolution.”
When he arrives on campus in Atlanta for subsequent season, Georgia State will probably be getting a participant who can do all the pieces on a baseball discipline. Jackson has hit higher than anybody in his area, discovering a gap in almost half of his at-bats. He has performed distinctive protection each within the infield and outfield, in addition to stealing multiple base per recreation on common.
And if the Panthers ever really want a place participant to take the mound, they’ll have one with a no-hitter on his resumé.
However greater than that, this system will probably be getting a participant who continues to set targets for himself and obtain them. In some instances, the targets even stretch past his taking part in profession. At the same time as a highschool senior, he’s already occupied with what his influence on the game he loves could possibly be.
“I’ll hopefully have a superb baseball profession and doubtless get into teaching after I play, or perhaps change into a coach,” Jackson stated. “I really feel like that may be one thing that may match me.”