Former HBCU head baseball coach Kerrick Jackson will take over the University of Memphis baseball program as its next head coach. The former Southern University coach spent that last two years as the President of Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft league. Jackson played college baseball at St. Louis Community College, Bethune–Cookman and Nebraska from 1994–1997.
The Memphis athletic department had national interest in its head coaching position. Jackson immediately was elevated as a qualified candidate. The department feels that Jackson is the perfect person to lead the program into the future and he’s a well-respected among collegiate baseball ranks. He will be building a powerhouse baseball program in Memphis.
Before joining MLB, Jackson served as the head coach at Southern University from 2018-20, where he took a nine-win team in 2018 to 32 wins, a conference championship, and the NCAA Tournament the following season en route to Black College Nines’ HBCU Baseball Coach of The Year and SWAC Coach of the Year accolades. His 2018 Jaguar team boasted the athletic department’s highest men’s team GPA and received national recognition for its community service efforts.
In his three seasons at the helm, Jackson compiled a 47-67 record. In 2019, he led the program to its first 30-win season since 2012, SWAC West Division Championship, SWAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Division 1 Regional Participant.
Jackson, while at Southern University, had wins over teams such as the University of Memphis, Eastern Illinois, Northwestern State, University of New Orleans, Nicholls State, and top ranked LSU. He finished with a Southwestern Athletic Conference record of 26-21.