Jackson Pruett may be a man of few words, but his play on the basketball court and baseball field speaks volumes.
A senior at Hayden High School in Hayden, Alabama, Jackson plays center on the Wildcat basketball team for head coach Stephen Glover and multiple positions on the baseball team for head coach Lucas Drake.
Sitting at 18-6 (6-0 Region 7), Hayden is enjoying one of the best basketball seasons in recent history. Coach Drake also has high hopes for the baseball season, but he’ll have to wait until basketball is over for his star to join him on the diamond.
“It’s the best team we’ve had in 25 years, basketball-wise. They’ve got a chance to make some noise. It delays the start of baseball a little bit, but I’m excited for them,” Drake said.
Jackson is Drake’s do-it-all guy on the baseball field. He can pitch, catch, play first, third, and right field. Jackson says he considers himself more of a hitter than a pitcher and tries to emulate the approach of Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. At six-foot-five, both Freeman and Pruett are built similarly, and Pruett also adopts Freeman’s anti-strikeout philosophy at the plate—“I’m more of a contact guy, not as much of a power guy,” Jackson says.
Last season as a junior, Jackson hit .345 with 10 doubles, 1 triple, and 22 RBI. Across 44 innings pitched, he posted 33 strikeouts and a 3.80 ERA.
Jackson excels in the classroom at HHS as well, carrying a 3.5 overall GPA. He has plans to one day become a teacher and a coach and says his favorite subject is math.
In his spare time, Jackson enjoys hanging out with friends, watching sports, and playing 2K. Two of his favorite restaurants are All Steak in Cullman and Olive Garden in Gardendale.
Looking at the spring baseball schedule, Jackson sees rivals Springville and Corner as two programs that will be competitive once again this year. One thing is for certain: Drake will be relying heavily on Jackson to close out his high school career as an impact player for the Wildcats.
“(Jackson’s) a super hard worker and puts in a lot of effort outside of practice, whether it’s basketball or baseball. He’s a leader on our team and a really good kid. He’s got good, good character,” Drake says. “He’s going to have to be one of those guys this year who plays a lot of different positions, primarily first base, but he’s going to have to pitch and go behind the plate. He’s definitely going to be one of our leaders. He has been for the last year or so.”
Jackson may be a quiet guy out in public, but he insists that once he gets comfortable and gets to talking, he isn’t all that quiet. Expect this semester to be even louder on the basketball court and on the baseball field for the two-sport athlete. Expect all the noise to capture the attention of a college coach and land him an athletic scholarship.
And expect Jackson to one day instill the same values in his students and players that his mentors at Hayden High School instilled in him. TG
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Photos by Al Blanton
