Jason Jackson makes Alabama's case as a regional host
Jason Jackson believes the Alabama Crimson Tide deserve to be a regional host for the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Since taking over as their interim head coach, Jackson has steadied the ship and helped the Crimson Tide remain one of the best programs in America. When asked about potentially hosting a regional following the SEC Baseball Tournament, the Alabama leader explained that their “resume speaks for itself.”
“Well, I hope that our resume speaks for itself. I don’t know what our RPI is today. You guys probably know. What is it, seven or eight? 10? Okay, it was 10 to start — so RPI of 10. What’s our record against top-50 RPI teams? Is it 18-13, 18-14? I think those are pretty good things,” explained Jackson. “We were in the top 3 in the league in pitching and hitting, the only team to do that in the league. We led the league in run differential at plus 48, and I think we led the league in four or five different pitching categories.
“I think the biggest thing is if you look back through history you’d see that teams that get 17, 18 wins, the track record of them hosting is pretty good, so we’ve history on our side kind of working in our favor. I know it’s a tough job, but I feel good about where we’re at. I think our guys have done a great job, and they’ve earned it.”
It’s tough to argue with Jason Jackson’s mindset, as there aren’t many teams who will have a better resume than the Crimson Tide when the time comes. Tuscaloosa could get a regional for the first time in 17 years, which is something to be celebrated.
Jason Jackson provides his mindset as Alabama’s interim head coach
Moreover, it takes a certain mindset to be successful as an interim coach. Evidently, Jason Jackson has it with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Since Jackson took over for Brad Bohannon, the Crimson Tide haven’t missed a beat. Alabama made it all the way to the fourth round of the SEC Baseball Tournament before falling short, and will likely be headed to the College World Series for their efforts.
Amid the turmoil of taking over the team so late in the season, Jackson explained that it was never really about him, it was always about the team.
“You know, I haven’t really thought about too much of that, to be honest. Whenever this happens, it’s like your first — like your first thought just goes to the players, like, hey, what do we need to do to make sure these guys keep moving in the right direction,” explained Jackson. “Since then it’s just been every week. We’re just kind of showing up and we’re trying to go 1-0 today. Let’s make sure we take it one game at a time, one day at a time, and they’ve done a great job of really — I know Pink said it, of just kind of playing for each other, right, and showing up every day.
“Staying in your routines, play for the guy beside you, and let’s do a good job of trying to go 1-0 today.”
One has to wonder if Jason Jackson’s ability to keep the Crimson Tide moving forward earned him a job at Alabama for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, you can’t help but be impressed with his team’s wherewithal.