A busy week for Maryland baseball continued into Friday evening after the program added two out of the transfer portal and announced a coaching change.
Maryland head coach Matt Swope has hired Glen Burnie native and former James Madison pitching coach Jimmy Jackson to the staff as an assistant coach/pitching coaching.
“I am thrilled to come back home to Maryland and work with Matt Swope and Maryland baseball,” said Jackson via release, who graduated from Old Mill High School in Millersville, Maryland. “Matt has a vision for the Terrapin baseball program and I am excited to be a part of the staff. We will work to recruit top talent from within the DMV and the entire nation as we continue to build on the recent success Maryland has had with three consecutive NCAA Regional teams and back-to-back Big Ten Championships.”
Jackson joins the program after eight seasons with James Madison where he produced six pro pitchers.
“Jimmy is a tireless worker and will be a vital addition to our staff here in College Park,” said Swope. “He’s an excellent pitching coach and really understands how to recruit the area and develop young arms. He has mentored and coached numerous MLB Draft picks and guys who have made it to the majors and we look forward to him doing the same thing with the Terps. We welcome Jimmy and his family to our One Maryland family.”
Via release:
His pitching staffs have been among the conference leaders in strikeouts, lowest opponent batting average, ERA, saves, and fewest walks allowed during his tenure. In 2019, the Dukes were among the national leaders in strikeouts per nine innings and posted the lowest batting average against (.232) and most strikeouts (553). Four Dukes pitchers were drafted following that season including Kelly and Robertson along with Shelton Perkins (Baltimore Orioles) and Dan Goggin (New York Mets).
Jackson joined James Madison after spending four seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Fordham (2011-15), putting together some of the Atlantic 10’s best pitching staffs along the way. Jackson also saw four of the seven pitchers in his first two recruiting classes selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, with all four having been selected in the top 24 rounds. Among those draft picks, four reached the major leagues: Nick Martinez (Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres), Brett Kennedy (San Diego Padres), Gregg Weissert (New York Yankees) and Reiss Knehr (San Diego Padres).
Prior to his four years at Fordham, Jackson spent three years at Siena (2008-10), the last two as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. The pitching staff led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in ERA in his first season as pitching coach and finished second in the conference the following year.
Before Siena, Jackson spent three years as the varsity pitching coach at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Maryland. In that time, Archbishop Spalding had 17 players who advanced to play in college, including 10 pitchers. Additionally, Jackson delivered private lessons to over 20 players that moved onto the collegiate ranks, including eight who played at the Division I level.
Originally from Glen Burnie, Md., and a graduate of Old Mill High School, Jackson played two years (2004-05) of independent professional baseball in the Frontier and Atlantic Leagues after a standout collegiate career that ended in 2004 at Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He was a two-way player as an infielder and pitcher at Shepherd, earning First Team All-Conference, All-Region and Preseason All-American honors as a pitcher. He still holds multiple pitching records at Shepherd.
The good news didn’t end there after news surfaced that Catholic outfielder Ben Nardi and Denison catcher Charlie Glennon are transferring to Maryland. Nardi, a two-time first team All-Landmark selection, fills a big void as the Terps’ next big bat next year after ending his Catholic career as the all-time home run leader while hitting .372 last season. Glennon, a two-time first team All-NCAC selection, will get a chance to fill Luke Shliger’s shoes for the vacant catcher job next spring after posting a .346 batting average and 24 stolen bases last season.
Related Links
Maryland jumps into the picture for local forward (+)
Pennsylvania lineman changes plans, officially visiting Maryland this weekend (+)
Maryland’s backcourt hit by injury bug with Chance Stephens sidelined
Maryland basketball offers a pair of targets with existing ties to the staff (+)