In a historic move, Missouri has hired Kerrick Jackson as its new head baseball coach, the school announced Saturday. Jackson becomes the first Black head coach in SEC baseball history.
“We set out to find a leader of high character with success rejuvenating a program, and we certainly found that in Kerrick Jackson,” Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois wrote in a statement. “He’s a tireless recruiter, fierce competitor and a coach with deep roots in the Midwest. Coach Jackson knows what success looks like in college baseball, specifically at Mizzou. He has a vision for success and a tremendous amount of experience at all levels of baseball. I look forward to him building on our traditions and returning us to the national stage.”
Jackson was the head coach at Memphis this past season and previously held the same position at Southern. He was an assistant at Missouri from 2011 to ’15 under former head coach Tim Jamieson. At his introductory press conference Monday, Jackson acknowledged the historical weight of the moment, describing it as “special.”
