Jackson throwing nothing but strikes for Bellevue

Langley Blaze Product sets milestone NAIA mark with 21-strikeout performance – also named NSAA Pitcher of the Year

– Bellevue, NE – Bellvue Universty’s (NAIA) Corey Jackson is lighting up the strike zone this season for the Bruins, recently setting an NAIA-high of 21 strikeouts in a game against Waldorf on May 1, the most this season by any NAIA pitcher and the second most in Bellevue program history.

Jackson’s 21-strikeout performance marks the eighth time this season that he has struck out 10 or more batters per game and he now leads all Canadians playing US college baseball in that category, holding down the top three spots, with 21, 18 and 16 strikeouts respectively (see graphic below).

During the regular season, the 5-10. 175lb. right-handed senior has appeared in 17 games for the Bruins, earning a 9-3 record and notching 166 strikeouts in 105 innings of work, with a 2.31 ERA.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Jackson eventually found his way to Abbotsford, BC, where he attended Yale Secondary and played for the Abbotsford Cardinals and then the Langley Blaze of the BC Premier Baseball League, where in his senior year, he pitched to a 5-0 record with a 3.10 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 27 innings of work.

Jackson’s 21-strikeout performance marked the eighth time this season he has struck out 10 or more batters per game, leading all Canadians in college baseball in that category (Source: Canadians in College Baseball, cbplayers.com).

Jackson started his college career at New Mexico Junior College and then Indian Hills Community College before moving on to UNC Greensboro for the 2018-2019 season. At Greensboro Jackson was ranked in the top five of eight major statistical categories in the Southern Conference including wins (1st-7), strikeouts (1st-70), appearances (1st-31), relief appearances (1st-31), innings pitched (3rd-57.2), strikeouts looking (3rd-23), opposing batting average (4th-.230) and earned run average (5th-4.84). He capped off his season there by ranking in the top 65 among NCAA Division I pitchers in WHIP (51st-1.04) and strikeouts per nine innings (64th-10.92).

In the shortened 2019-2020 season, Jackson Made four starts on the mound for the Bruins, pitching to a 1-2 record with a 6.52 ERA in 19.1 innings of work. He struck out a team-high 25 batters for a K/9 rate of 11.64, striking out a season-best nine batters in back-to-back starts against Siena Heights and Michigan-Dearborn. He posted a 2.84 ERA over his final three starts, striking out 24 batters in 19 innings and was named the NSAA Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 9.

Thus far in 2021, Jackson has been named the NSAA Pitcher of the Week on two occasions, has been rewarded with a first team All-NSAA selection and was recently named the NSAA Pitcher of the Year.

Opening their playoffs against Science and Arts on Monday, Jackson continued his domination, throwing a complete game 4-2 victory, giving up the two earned runs on six hits, while striking out 16 in the process.

The Bruins also defeated St. Xavier 8-3 in round one round robin action and next take on Concordia, in the hopes of eventually advancing to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho beginning May 28.