Greg Byrne credits Jason Jackson for interim job, explains decision to keep him on staff

As Alabama welcomed new baseball coach Rob Vaughn to the program officially on Tuesday with an introductory press conference, the Crimson Tide brass made sure to appropriately thank interim coach Jason Jackson.

Jackson guided Alabama to the Super Regionals after head coach Brad Bohannon was fired midway through the campaign when suspicious gambling activity with links to Bohannon was found by investigators.

If not for running into the nation’s top team in Wake Forest, Alabama might still be playing.

“Want to thank JJ,” Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said. “Is JJ here today?”

The crowd in attendance interrupted Byrne with a loud and lengthy round of applause for the interim head coach, who has agreed to stay on at Alabama under Vaughn.

“That man stepped up a lot,” Byrne said. “And the entire staff, that’s him right there, but he was a great leader through all this. He and the staff did a wonderful job and we very much appreciate them.”

Jason Jackson took over as interim on May 4, when Alabama officially parted ways with Bohannon.

The Crimson Tide hardly seemed to notice the change in bosses. If anything, Alabama was sparked by the change in leadership.

With Jackson at the helm, Alabama won its final three SEC series handily. The team won nine of its next 13 games, with all four losses coming to NCAA Tournament teams.

Alabama won the Tuscaloosa Regional quite easily, topping every single team in the field.

It wasn’t until a Super Regionals matchup with Wake Forest that things got dicey, and even then Alabama put up a fight at first. The Crimson Tide lost the opening game 5-4, then simply ran out of gas as the Demon Deacons played home run derby in a 22-5 win to end the season for interim coach Jason Jackson and company.

But Jackson will remain on to help the program through the transition, something that cannot be overstated in terms of importance. He should be a nice bridge to help Vaughn get established in Tuscaloosa following a career at Maryland that saw him named back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year.

“Believe so much in JJ, and coach Vaughn and I talked, that we’ve elevated him to associate head coach and we’ve also offered him a two-year contract to stay here at the University of Alabama,” Byrne said.

Jackson has spent the last six seasons on staff at Alabama.

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