Bio
Left-handed pitcher Jaren Jackson Jackson returns to Sioux City after making his professional debut for the Explorers in 2024. He began the season working out of the pen then moved to the starting rotation in July where he would go on to make 11 starts for Sioux City. Jackson originally joined the Explorers on June 5, 2024, as a free agent out of the University of New Mexico. He would make his professional debut the next day on June 6, working a third of an inning with a strikeout and a walk and facing two batters in the X’s 9-5 win over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Newman Outdoor Field. Jackson would spend the first month with Sioux City working out of the bullpen. He would toss 10.2 innings in seven appearances, striking out 12 while issuing six walks. Jackson would pitch four innings, a relief high, on June 22 in an 8-2 loss against Sioux Falls. The lefty struck out five and held the Canaries hitless in his four innings of work at Lewis and Clark Park. Jackson would finish with a 2.65 ERA as a reliever for the Explorers.
After one more scoreless relief appearance, Jackson joined the rotation at home on July 3, facing the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Jackson would record a quality start, going six innings and holding the Goldeyes to two runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts and no walks. Despite the solid outing, he was charged with a hard-luck loss in his first start as a pro. Jackson followed that first start on July 7 with four innings against Milwaukee. He held the Milkmen to one earned run on six hits with a walk and strike out in a 15-6 win for the Explorers in part of a sweep of Milwaukee.
Jackson picked up his first win as a professional on July 12 at Lake Country. He threw 6.2 shutout innings and surrendered just three hits with four walks and six punch outs in a 3-0 win for Sioux City. Jackson then would drop four straight starts before picking up his second win on August 14 in a 4-2 win over the soon-to-be Miles Wolff Cup Champions, Kane County. Jackson limited the Cougars to just two earned runs on three hits with five walks and six strikeouts. Overall, Jackson would go 2-6 with a 6.04 ERA in 18 games, making 11 starts. He totaled 67 innings with 52 strikeouts and a 1.746 WHIP for the season. Jackson was strongest at Lewis and Clark Park, putting up a 4.35 ERA in 39.1 innings with 30 strikeouts.
Jackson comes from the University of New Mexico where he played two seasons with the Lobos. Prior to the Lobos, he pitched three seasons at Pima Community College. In 2024, during his final year with the Lobos, Jackson earned the opening-day start against Oregon State, although he was moved to a bullpen role in March after two starts. Across the year, he went 3-5 over 47.1 innings while striking out 49 batters. He ended the season with a stretch of seven appearances where he combined for 9.2 innings only allowing three earned runs between April 23 and May 12. His last appearance was on May 23, going four innings without allowing a run against San Jose State.
2023 was Jackson’s first season with New Mexico, and he started eight of his 12 appearances. He ranked fourth on the team with 44.2 innings pitched and struck out 32 while walking only 12. His season included a finish where he allowed just one run over 11 innings between April 29 and May 14, throwing 101 pitches across 6.2 shutout innings in a game against Nevada May 14.
Jackson went to the Lobos after three years with the Pima Community College Aztecs. In 2022, he was named second-team all-ACCAC while making 13 starts with a 2.88 ERA. In his second season of college ball in 2021, the lefty went 65.1 innings while starting 12 games, including three games of seven innings. During his true-freshman season with the Aztecs, he made five starts in the COVID-shortened year. In those starts, he pitched 23.1 innings, including a game against Colorado Northwestern CC where he picked up a win with seven strikeouts.
Jackson is a native of Rio Rancho, New Mexico where he attended Cleveland High School. He was named first-team all-state pitcher in 2019 after being named first-team all-state first baseman in 2018. He also played football in high school like his father who played at UTEP.