Division-III Roots Pushing Jackson Gray to Finish Line in 'Season of Special Moments'
LEXINGTON, Ky. — On Saturday afternoon, Kentucky center fielder Jackson Gray will step into the batter's box at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. to begin game one of the Wildcats' Super Regional against LSU.
UK's electric leadoff hitter is closing his college baseball career on a high note, entering what could be his final couple of games slashing .348/.504/.548. He's played a lights-out center field and owns the innate ability to get hit by an absurd amount of pitches, having been drilled 25 times in 58 games, the second most by a player in a single season in program history.
Head coach Nick Mingione swiped the in-state transfer from Western Kentucky over the offseason, having seen him play twice as a visiting Hilltopper at Kentucky Proud Park for midweek games, one of which included Gray belting a home run in a win over the Cats just a season ago.
The jump from WKU to UK has been impressive, but that doesn't come close to telling the whole story. Gray never imagined he'd be facing Paul Skenes and the Tigers in a Super Regional. Playing in a conference like the SEC in the first place wasn't originally in the cards, either.
In fact, it took two stops before Gray even cracked the Division-I level.
A dynamic two-sport athlete coming out of North Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Ill., Gray began his path at Washington University, a Division-III school in St. Louis that's renowned for its academics and was named the 15th-best national university (U.S. News World Report), ranking above some Ivy League schools.
Gray hit .353 in high school and stole a school-record 53 bases, but being the rock-solid CF he is today wasn't the original gameplan. It was actually becoming a college pitcher.
He touted an 8-1 record and 1.61 ERA at Wheaton and was looking to continue that trajectory at WashU. While he did make three appearances on the mound as a freshman in 2019, it was quickly realized that being an outfielder was the way to go. After hitting .323 in 130 at-bats that season, he made a D-III transfer to the College of DuPage, right outside of his hometown.
After playing in just nine games for the Chaparrals before the world was shut down due to a global pandemic, Gray took a chance on himself when the opportunity to play for a D1 program arose. It was off to Bowling Green, Ky. to play for WKU in 2021.
He flourished in his first campaign with the Tops, getting voted 2021 All-Conference USA Second Team thanks to a .363/.460/.592 slash line. He ranked first on the team in batting average, on-base percentage, hits and homers.
Having finally found a home, Gray was ready to build off of a fantastic season. Then came a wall.
Last season, he hit just .203 with a .312 OBP, managing only 29 hits in 48 games. WKU lost 36 games and its head coach John Pawlowski resigned, ending a seven-year tenure. Gray found himself right back at square one, so he hit the portal.
Worrisome that his 2022 season would lead to programs turning up their noses and looking elsewhere, Gray's eyes widened when he was contacted by UK. Mingione remembered the caliber of player he saw hit a homer at KPP. Gray remembered the environment the Wildcats had to offer.
"Going into the portal, I didn't really know what to expect, coming off a down year," Gray said. "As soon as Kentucky reached out, I was like, 'woah, okay this just got real.' I knew that if that opportunity was there, I wasn't going to be able to say no. I knew what a special place this was."
Soon after, he was brought in as one of the many portal acquisitions plucked by Mingione and his staff. This was a new opportunity. A bigger and better one, at that. Gray, like the rest of his new teammates, locked in and got to work.
"That kind of played to our strengths because we all came together really quickly for a bunch of guys that were new to the program," Gray said of the big transfer class. "We all bought into the culture. A lot of older guys that just wanted to win. We all related in that aspect."
That relation curated a bond that has oozed on and off the field, which is something that leads Gray to harken back to his D-III days. Kentucky may be an SEC program, but it still possesses that gritty hardhat-and-lunch pail feel that reminds him of wearing a WashU uniform.
"Something about Division-III baseball, it's very unselfish. The team comes first," he said. "I think this team here is really similar to that team in that aspect. It's unselfish, very tight group of guys. I think it's pretty rare to get a team like that at the Division-I level."
Gray's teammates agree. First baseman Hunter Gilliam has watched him work as hard as anyone, bringing that D-III mentality with him to Lexington. In the weight room, Gilliam likened his teammate's physique to NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher. On his player page that remains on WKU's website, Gray's hobbies include "doing push-ups."
"It’s been such a pleasure to play with Jackson," Gilliam said. "He’s one of the most selfless guys I’ve ever been around that wants to win more than anyone. The year he has had is unreal. He's the best center fielder college baseball."
All of that hard work has paid off via "a season full of special moments," in Gray's words. None were as poetic as the night of March 28, when he made his return to Bowling Green for a midweek game vs. WKU.
With Kentucky down by two runs in the seventh inning, Gray stepped into the left-handed batter's box at Nick Denes Field, a place he's dug his cleats into many times before. After working the count full, he turned on a fastball and annihilated it over the right-field fence for a grand slam, putting the Cats ahead for good.
He called the homer "surreal" that night. His thoughts haven't changed nearly three months later.
"It's just another one of those moments that doesn't really feel real," he said. "I had that game circled all season. There was a lot of build up to it, you try to just attack it like you would any other game and not make it too big of a deal, but definitely a weird feeling going in the first base dugout there on the other side. Just special."
As for Monday night's win over Indiana to clinch the Lexington Regional and punch a ticket to supers, he had to remind himself to soak everything in, as it was already his final game at KPP.
"It's hard to turn off the competitiveness sometimes to take it in," he admitted. "Even after our win on Monday, after the game, everything's happening at once, it's hard to be like, 'alright, game's over, you can just enjoy this.' I try to lock in to the highest I can during the game, but you definitely want to take some moments."
Every moment on the diamond has made everything worth it for Gray. The highlight-reel catches in center, the 26 extra-base hits, the 19 stolen bases and most importantly, the 40 wins. Off the diamond, he's still held his high standard and was just named Second-Team Division I Academic All-America with a 4.0 GPA. Leaving WashU was a tough sell to his mom at first, but it's safe to say that the decision paid off.
"It's crazy. I reflect on it sometimes," Gray said. "If you would've told that guy freshman year that he'd be playing center field in the SEC for Kentucky, I don't think he would've believed it. It's just been a wild journey. I'm grateful for every stop along the way."
The next stop is Baton Rouge, with a trip to Omaha and the College World Series on the line. Gray, while at peace with his career, isn't ready for things to end this weekend at The Box:
"I just want to keep playing with these guys. I don't want it to be over yet. I think that's one of the biggest motivating factors for us, you don't want to be done playing. Just keep winning."
Roommates, Kentuckians, Brothers: More on Darren Williams and Mason Moore HERE.
The King of Work: More on catcher Devin Burkes and his MVP honors HERE.
Game recap of Kentucky's Regional-clinching win can be found HERE.
How getting hit in batting practice helps Kentucky HERE.
How hard conversations molded RHP Austin Strickland HERE.
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