MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis baseball coach Kerrick Jackson is leaving the program after just one season, sources with the university confirm to ABC24.
Jackson led the program to a 29-28 record this season, including a 10-14 mark in AAC play. It was the best finish for the program since a 30-29 season in 2017. Memphis finished sixth in the AAC regular season and collected one win in the conference tournament before back to back losses to end the year.
Jackson was Memphis' 17th head coach and first Black head coach to lead program. He came to Memphis after serving as president of the MLB Draft League and coached as an assistant for nine years before becoming the head coach of Southern University.
Jackson will head to Columbia, Missouri to take over as head coach at the University of Missouri. Jackson was an assistant in Columbia for five years under then head coach Tim Jamieson and part of the last Mizzou team to make the NCAA Tournament.
The University made an official announcement on Saturday night.
University of Memphis athletics released a statement praising Jackson for the "energy" he brought to the team:
"We’re disappointed to lose Coach Kerrick Jackson after one season as our head baseball coach. In just one year, however, Coach Jackson revitalized the energy of Memphis Baseball, and we look forward to continuing the momentum he helped create.
This job is extremely attractive due to our fan base, our location and the renovations to FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field alongside other commitments made to the program over the last year.
It’s tough to lose a coach after one season, but we appreciate what Coach Jackson did, and we are happy for him and his family. We will hire another great coach to lead our program, and we look forward to continued success.”