Welcome to town, Kerrick Jackson!

Roll out the black and gold carpet, y’all. The new guy is here.

Not that Kerrick Jackson needed to be “welcomed”... seeing as he is already part of the extended family in the first place!

In case you haven’t been paying attention, our friend TR has been curating some great introductory content, including the below interview from Jackson’s only year at Memphis.

Jackson’s presence is a welcome sight for those who desire to see more diversity within the sport of baseball and, more specifically, college baseball. At a time when Black athletes have increased in the sport, there are still very few Black coaches in college baseball. Jackson will be the only one in a Power Five conference at Mizzou.

Jackson, the [former] Memphis coach and chairman of the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Diversity in Baseball Committee, said his priorities are to generate funding for more programs aimed at introducing the sport to Black children, especially between the ages of 6 and 10, and developing a Black coaching pipeline at the high school and college levels.

“It’s one of those chicken-or-egg things,” Jackson said. “Do you need more coaches or do you need more players? I think we can go from both angles.”

We’ll have more content analyzing Jackson’s project, including a special podcast airing later this week!

Yesterday at Rock M

• In which Mizzou Softball is working through a transitional phase, but it’ll be fine!
• In which DENNIS GATES FINALLY LANDS HIS BIG MAN, HALLELUJAH

More Links:

• ICYMI: Mizzou has a big man!

Matt Stahl has a piece at the Tribune detailing how Vanover can help the Tigers in his final season of eligibility.

• Josh Lester, WELCOME TO THE SHOW!

Now that Lester is making his debut, is Robbie Glendinning (The Thunder from Down Under) up next?

• Let’s all extend a hearty welcome to the Mizzou Women’s Basketball newcomers!
• The Heat and Nuggets are tied at one in the NBA Finals after MPJ and the rest of his teammates — Nikola Jokic aside — laid eggs in Game Two.
• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now!
• If you’re looking to sign up for a new streaming service, you can try FuboTV: click HERE for FuboTV access — FuboTV now has ESPN, CBS, FS1 and more sports channels.
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