OMAHA, Neb. -- It sounded almost as if Texas A&M coach Rob Childress was talking about a Little League team when before the season began he emphasized the Aggies were going to have to play better in the dirt.
Childress was referencing to the team's infield play, and the reason it was so important was two-fold.
With the new BBCOR standard bats, defense was going to be more of a premium in the college game. And, even if the bats had stayed the same, an area the Aggies had to improve was helping get their pitchers off the field.
Childress has had no complaints about the way his team has performed in the dirt this season, primarily because of the play of senior shortstop Kenny Jackson.
"It all begins with Kenny Jackson," said Childress after a recent game. "Pitching and fielding, if you can do those two things you are going to be in every game."
Jackson has started every game this season, showing off his relaxed style on the field and being a major reason the Aggies have gone from the worst fielding team in the Big 12 to second in one season, posting a .976 percentage, the best ever recorded by an A&M team.
"I've always been a laid-back kind of guy so I take that with me on the field and that's kind of the way baseball is supposed to be played," said Jackson. "Some people might think, 'Hey he doesn't care while he's out there,' but it's the approach I take and I don't think it affects my teammates. If anything, I think it calms them down, too."
At 6-foot-4, Jackson is tall for the position. He has a knack, though, for making most plays look routine, especially those that would normally be more difficult for a bigger middle infielder.
"I just have to make sure I keep my center of gravity low," Jackson said. "It is a little harder for me than a smaller guy who is already down low. I've done what I've done since I was little and even though I've grown it's the same mechanics, catch and throw."
Jackson has a .969 fielding percentage, 32 points higher than the Big 12 MVP of 2008, A&M's Jose Duran. His 10 errors are 10 fewer than 2007 A&M shortstop Brandon Hicks, who has since made it through the Atlanta Braves' system.
Last season, Brodie Greene settled in as the shortstop after Childress tried three others, including Jackson, at the position.
Jackson got three starts at shortstop, one at second, eight at third and 18 at first base.
"I couldn't complain. It was my first year here and I was just looking for playing time any way I could get it," said the Alvin College transfer who started at shortstop for two years. "It was hard to get settled, stay consistent, but I am versatile and I knew my role, so I kind of embraced it in a way, made the best of it."
Jackson's fielding percentage for the four positions was .976, helped in part by playing first base a majority of the games.
Jackson started fall practice at first base and moved to shortstop more than halfway through workouts.
"I found my way over to short, told coach I was interested in it and got reps in intrasquad. So three-fourths of the way through the fall I kind of settled in, and at Christmas break coach Childress kind of acted like that was my position," Jackson said.
A position that, outside of a few late-inning substitutions, he's owned the entire season.
NOTES -- Kenny Jackson is hitting .283 and is fifth on the team in runs and RBIs. ... Jackson was selected in the 31st round of the MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins. ... At Alvin College, Jackson led the team to a fifth-place finish in the JUCO World Series and was voted the team's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
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