Mizzou hires first Black baseball coach in SEC history
By Gabe Swartz
Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois made SEC history with her latest hire.
On Sunday, Mizzou announced that Kerrick Jackson will be the 15th head coach in the school’s baseball history. His hiring makes him the first Black head baseball coach in Southeastern Conference history.
“We set out to find a leader of high character with success rejuvenating a program, and we certainly found that in Kerrick Jackson,” Reed-Francois said. “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.”
“It’s a great honor to come back to the University of Missouri and lead the baseball program,” Jackson said in a release from Mizzou. “I have seen this program at its championship best and understand both what it takes to get there and the importance of baseball to the state, region and within the Southeastern Conference. My family and I are looking forward to returning to a University and community which we love. I am grateful to Desireé Reed-Francois and the search committee for trusting me with this tremendous opportunity.”
A week ago, Reed-Francois announced that Missouri was moving on from coach Steve Beiser. The news came after Beiser led the Tigers to a 30-24 record and their first SEC Tournament since 2019.
The Missouri baseball program has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2012.
Jackson was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator while at Missouri previously. After two years as an agent, he served as the head coach at Southern University from 2018 to 2020. In 2018, he took a team that won nine games the year prior to 32 wins, a conference championship and the NCAA Tournament. This past season he led Memphis to 29 wins and the school’s first winning season since 2017.
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