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Jaicee Jackson to continue softball ride with Pomeroys
There was no shortage of friends and family taking pictures with Jaicee Jackson while waiting for all of her family to assemble Friday afternoon.
The South Putnam senior was patient throughout the process and once all parties had arrived, Jackson was able to put pen to paper, signing on to join the St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball program ahead of the 2024-25 school year.
Jackson, a first baseman and pitcher for the Eagles, said trips to the school for softball had gotten her interested in becoming a Pomeroy and the coaching staff, along with a few familiar faces, helped cement her decision.
“I went to a couple of camps of theirs over the summers and fell in love with the campus, the coaches and the girls that were running it,” Jackson said. “When I went for my visit, I just knew.
“(St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball head coach Jim) Walker’s philosophy with softball and everything he told me about the school made me feel it was the right fit. I also know a couple of girls on the team who are on my travel team, which helped push me in that direction.”
Jackson added the campus had an allure, which appealed to her, along with the courses she had an interest in.
“It’s a small campus and you know where everything is; it’s not like a large campus where you might get lost,” Jackson said. “Everything is within walking and driving distance and, overall, it’s a beautiful campus.
“I am looking to major in psychology and minor in sociology, looking to do therapy, something along the lines of behavioral, or have a private practice to work with teenage kids.”
In its first two years as a member of the NAIA, the Pomeroys have made the NAIA Softball National Tournament, going 36-16 in 2023, and making a splash since joining the River States Conference.
“St. Mary’s is a pretty good program,” Jackson noted. “They’ve won back-to-back River States Conference titles, make runs after the regular season is over and have some of the top stats in the conference.
“The team is losing its first baseman this year; with me being a first baseman, they see me filling in there with my bat. I might be asked to pitch but that’s not what I’m primarily being asked to do. “
While relatively close to home, Jackson said getting acquainted with others on campus was going to take some getting used to.
“Coming from a smaller school and going to college, everyone knows each other at South, so going to find people that I’m going to really click with is going to be a struggle,” Jackson said. “The friends that I’ve had, I’ve had forever, so redoing that is going to be hard for me.
“But I am ready for the challenge and am excited for it.”
Getting the decision out of the way before the high school season began was also a key component for Jackson, who said she could now focus on her senior season, one that would have its own changes to get used to, before departing for Terre Haute in the fall.
“I’m really looking forward to and embracing the pressure of trying to grow and overcome anything that is going to come up this season,” Jackson said about the upcoming softball campaign. “We have new coaches this year and that’s looking really great so far.
“I’m excited to take what I learn this year into my summer travel season, then go in the fall and take all I’ve learned, along with what direction coach Walker wants me to go, and build off that.
“I’m very excited and extremely blessed for the opportunity I was given,” Jackson added. “I had only been looked at a couple of times between the camps and a couple of tournaments yet coach Walker offered me a chance to play.
“I’m so luck and thankful for the opportunity and am ready to go show what I can do.”