The 2016 season marks the sixth season as an assistant coach for Edwardsville native Danny Jackson. He was named to the SIUE baseball staff in July of 2010.
Jackson primarily works with the Cougar hitters. Under Stoecklin, Jackson handles the coaching duties at third base and is involved in all facets of the program including recruiting and travel arrangements.
Under Jackson, the Cougars posted a .302 batting average in Ohio Valley Conference games in 2015, rising from a league mark of .294 in 2014 and ranking SIUE fifth in the league. SIUE belted 42 home runs in 30 Conference games to rank fourth. The Cougars’ 72 doubles, and 538 total bases in OVC play ranked third.
The Cougars saw an uptick in offense overall in 2015. SIUE combined for 50 home runs after hitting just 28 in 2014. The Cougars also had 159 extra base hits in 2015 after having 145 in 2014 despite playing four fewer games in 2015. SIUE hitters improved their slugging percentage from .389 in 2014 to .430 in 2015 and increased their RBIs from 250 in 2014 to 258 in 2015.
Jackson has had a knack for developing talent quickly. Under his guidance, the Cougars have now had three freshmen named to the OVC All-Freshman team. Dustin Woodcock became the latest in 2015, joining Keaton Wright (2014) and Skyler Geissinger (2013). Woodcock also was chosen as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Devin Caldwell was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American following his freshman season in 2011.
In 2014, Jackson led the Cougar hitters to a .278 team batting average, good for sixth in the OVC. Jackson saw the lineup’s overall batting average jump 36 points from 2013’s mark. The team also was fifth in the OVC with 104 doubles, an increase of 37 from 2013. In conference play, the improvement was even more dramatic. SIUE combined to hit .294 in 2014 and the team’s 63 doubles were second-most in the league, and just one off Jacksonville’s State’s league-high 64.
Jackson also guided Caldwell on his way to hitting 10 home runs in both 2013 and 2014. In 2014, Caldwell’s 10 big flies tied him for fifth in the conference. Caldwell and Chase Green each smacked 18 doubles during the year to tie for fourth in the league.
Caldwell spent all four of his seasons under the tutelage of Jackson. He hit a program-record 33 home runs while at SIUE. He added 58 doubles as a Cougar, which is the second-most in program history.
Prior to coming to SIUE, Jackson served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Saint Louis University Billikens. His duties included serving as the first base coach, working with hitters, outfielders, and corner infielders defensively, and serving as team's travel planner.
In three seasons with the Billikens, Jackson helped the team to 88 wins, including an Atlantic 10 Championship in 2010. SLU participated in the Louisville Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Billiken hitters increased batting average, doubles, and home runs under Jackson's watch.
Jackson also has served as an assistant coach and hitting coach for the El Dorado Broncos of the Jayhawk Summer League. He helped the 2007 team to a fourth-place finish at the NBC National Baseball Tournament.
He has worked with youth players as a pitching and hitting instructor at the Athletix Factory since 2008 teaching the fundamentals of the game.
As a player, Jackson was a coveted recruit when he came out of Edwardsville High School, where he was a three-time All-State pick and a two-time Alton Telegraph Metro Player of the Year. Jackson remains the all-time leader in home runs, batting average, runs batted in and walks at Edwardsville High School.
He then played at Wichita State under legendary coach Gene Stephenson. Jackson was a pitcher and a first baseman for the Shockers, earning Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player honors in 2005, 2006 Most Improved Player for Wichita State, and All-MVC honors in 2007.
Jackson earned a bachelor's degree from Wichita State in 2007. He earned a master’s in Exercise and Sport Behavior from SIUE in 2015.
He is married to the former Jenny Gilman, who played volleyball and basketball at SIUE. The couple welcomed their first son, Sawyer James, in August 2015. The family resides in Edwardsville.
