“Ben is going to be a great asset to our program,” Green said. “We are thrilled to welcome Ben into our athletics family at NMSU. Having had the chance to work with Ben since 2010, I was able to see the kind of talent and future Ben has in this profession. He has a great ability to impact student-athletes with his baseball knowledge and communication skills. We are excited to round out our coaching staff with Ben and can’t wait to get on the field and start getting ready for 2015.”
Jackson will assist Coach Green as the catcher’s coach, while he will also be the first base coach on offense. Jackson is also assigned as an assistant to Coach Joel Mangrum with the pitchers and is the camp coordinator.
During his time at UK, Jackson helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances, including a school-record 45-win season in 2012. During the 2012 season, UK boasted a pair of freshman All-America selections, as well as Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year Austin Cousino.
Jackson helped mentor one of the top players in the history of college baseball during the 2014 season in unanimous National Player of the Year AJ Reed. Reed swept all the national awards during a record-breaking season, leading the NCAA in homers, slugging and OPS, while also leading the SEC in pitching victories.
Jackson transferred to UK in 2010 from Armstrong Atlantic State University after pitching two seasons. Jackson was charged with a plenty of responsibilities, including assisting in the management of the office, coordinating video scouting and development, assisting in planning and executing practice plans and serving as the assistant director of UK’s camp program.
During the 2013 summer, Jackson served as the pitching coach for the Victoria Harbourcats in the West Coast Collegiate League. The Harbourcats finished 25-29, taking second in their division.
Jackson earned his degree from UK in 2013 in history, with a minor in geography. In high school he attended the Darlington School before serving as a right-handed reliever for two seasons at Armstrong Atlantic State.