By BRIAN RAMSEY | OBU Sports Network

Ouachita Baptist University Director of Athletics David Sharp has announced the hiring of Jeff Jackson as the head coach for the Tiger softball program.

Jackson has been coaching competitive fastpitch softball since 2010 in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas metroplex. He started as the head coach for the Fort Worth Batbusters in 2010, took over the Impact Gold 18U team in 2015, and most recently led the DFW Athletics 18U team since 2017.

During Jackson’s tenure with those three squads, 100 percent of the young women under his mentorship received both athletic and academic scholarship offers to play collegiate softball.

Also throughout his softball coaching career, Jackson served as head high school coach at Fellowship Christian Academy in Kennedale, Texas for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, where he was named the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 4A Coach of the Year in 2019. He mentored eight all-district players and two all-state players during those seasons, and led the 2019 team to an undefeated district championship and an eighth-place finish at state.

“I’m grateful to Dr. Sells and Coach Sharp for the opportunity to lead this program,” said Jackson. “My goal is to build a competitive program that aligns with the mission and vision of the university. I’m ready to get to work.”

“I am extremely excited to see Coach Jackson come to lead our softball program,” said Sharp. “His knowledge, expertise, experience, and attention to detail are remarkably evident. Plus, his connections and contacts, especially in the DFW area and all of east Texas, will be a great advantage in his recruiting efforts.”

Jackson has also served as a volunteer director for the Mansfield Girls Softball Association, where he was responsible for all aspects of tournament and gameday operations and served as the primary fundraiser for the organization. He was also the founder and general manager for Full Count Academy, where he managed the day-to-day operations of the athletic training facility.

Jackson is already familiar with Ouachita after making the trip from the DFW metroplex to Arkadelphia and other Great American Conference member institutions many times from 2017 to 2020. Jackson’s daughter, Natalie, graduated from Ouachita in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and biology. She was also a three-year starter for the Tiger softball team.

Jackson is a 2003 graduate from the University of North Texas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He and his wife, Misti, have been married since 1996. Misti has been a pre-K teacher for over 20 years. In addition to Natalie, the couple has another daughter, Katie, who is currently in nursing school in Texas. Natalie is currently a teacher at Mansfield High School.