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Here’s our TLI for Tuesday, May 10, 2022:
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EXTRA SPOTLIGHT: ADDISON “AJ” JACKSON
Boston College-committed Addison “AJ” Jackson, #18 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about winning the LHSAA Class 5A state championship for St. Amant High in Louisiana, playing for Top Gun Fastpitch, how she approaches the state tournament and Michael Jordan.
EXTRA SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Addison Jackson
Hometown: St. Amant, LA
High School: St. Amant High
Club Team: Top Gun 18U National
Graduation Year: 2023
Height: 5-foot-9
Position: P/MIF
Nickname: AJ
Twitter: @ABJ_2023
Honors: 1st Team All-State (2021); 1st Team All-Metro (2021); 1st Team All-District (2021); District Co-MVP (2021); Ascension Parish Pitcher of The Year (2021); Most Outstanding Player in the Class 5A State championship (2022); 1st Team All-District (2022); District MVP (2022); and The Daily Advocate Star of Stars Softball Athlete award winner.
Travel Ball Highlights/Fall Stats: Batting — .302 AVG, .415 OBP, 1.020 OPS, 4 doubles, 3 HRs, 11 RBIs and 10 runs; Pitching — 8-0, 2.85 ERA, 41.2 IP, 1 save, 28 Ks, 5 BB and 1.17 WHIP.
High School Highlights: Broke the single-season and career home run records and has 560 career strikeouts through two seasons of pitching.
Tell us about Top Gun and how you became involved with them?
I was contacted by Coach Bob Turner on Twitter and looked into the Top Gun Organization and realized that was the place I wanted to be and the coach I wanted to have throughout this journey.
Talk your experiences at St. Amant and some of the highlights you’ll always remember…
My experience at St. Amant was unique in the way that I came in as a freshman after I previously won (a) state title and then Covid happened the same year I came in. My freshman year there was a senior pitcher, who had led them to the title and throughout all her years, so I started varsity at second base and as leadoff.
My sophomore year I started in the circle and pitched almost every game as well as leading off once again. It was a learning year for me and definitely helped me to be a better player from the mental side even more so than the physical.
I came in this year knowing what to expect and what was expected from me. I was ready to get that state title and knew that I needed to be a leader for this team, especially with having a lot of younger players on the field with me. I was ready to attack and dominate in every aspect of the game and with the hard work from the entire team we got our state title!
Along with the state championship, how did you do personally this season?
I have improved significantly from last year and had such a strong mindset coming into this season. My win-loss record as a pitcher this year was 29-2, but overall as a pitcher 54-5. I have stayed in the leadoff spot in the lineup with a .527 average and only 6 Ks, improving on every stat this year from last.
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