Jackson Honored as Baseball America’s Trailblazer of the Year

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Before Missouri Baseball kicks off what promises to be a memorable 2024 season, Tigers head coach Kerrick Jackson capped an already historic year by picking up Baseball America’s Trailblazer of the Year honor on Friday.  

Jackson joins a distinguished list of former BA Trailblazers that includes Major League Baseball executives Omar Minaya (2022), Kim Ng (2021) and Jean Afterman (2019), as well as pioneering San Francisco Giants coach Alyssa Nakken (2020).

Since being named Missouri’s 15th head baseball coach in early June, Jackson has undertaken the challenge of revitalizing the Tigers’ tradition-rich program. These efforts have included hiring a diverse staff, recruiting a new-look roster and providing his pupils an entirely new way of approaching the game—and the way they go about working to achieve their common goal of returning Mizzou to national prominence.

While the work is well underway, Jackson will officially become the first Black Southeastern Conference head baseball coach to lead his team into action when the Tigers open their 2024 campaign February 16 at Cal Poly. Furthermore, he will be just the fourth Black collegiate coach to guide a Power Five baseball program and the first to do so since the 2021 season.

In addition to his success on the diamond as a collegiate coach, including leading Southern University to the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference crown and an NCAA Regional berth and guiding Memphis to its first winning season in six years last spring, Jackson continues to serve as a relentless advocate for minorities in college baseball, especially in the coaching ranks. He helped form the American Baseball Coaches Association’s diversity in baseball committee and has served as its chairman since its creation in 2018. That body works to improve diversity in the coaching ranks through a professional development program and an increased focus on youth baseball.

2024 TICKET INFORMATION
Tiger fans can reserve their spot at Taylor Stadium by requesting season tickets with a $20 deposit for the 2024 season. Season tickets for Mizzou’s 29-game home slate are $65 for adult general admission and $100 for reserved chairback seating. Season ticket renewals will begin in the month of November, with single-game tickets set to go on sale in early February.

To reserve 2024 season tickets, complete the online form.

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