Our 5th best hitter in the 2021 season, Jackson Lancaster, was coming off a college season for Missouri in which he batted only 38 times, but it didn’t take him much time to knock the rust off and start raking.

The former 2019 38th round draft pick had an outstanding year for New Market, slashing .371/.426/.691, with 22 runs scored, five doubles, four triples, six home runs, 23 RBIs, a solid 12/16 BB/K ratio, and seven stolen bases. He finished fourth in the league in batting average, third in OPS, second in slugging, seventh in total bases (67), seventh in home runs, eighth in RBIs, and first in triples. He was Hitter of the Day twice (June 19 and June 22), and named Hitter of the Week once, on June 20th. He was an All-Star of course, and was named first team All-Valley at the utility spot at the end of the year.

He had four hits three times, including June 17 and 19. On the 17th, he went 4-5, with three runs, a triple, and an RBI, and two days later, he went 4-4, with two runs, a triple, home run, five RBIs, and added a walk. He showed impressive power to the opposite field; when I saw him play at New Market in a regular season game, he had a double and a single to left field.

Lancaster also threw 9 2/3 innings for New Market; he went 1-1, 4.65, with a silly 20 strikeouts. He got 20 of 27 outs by strikeout!

He spent two seasons at Itawba Community College, in Fulton, Mississippi, before transferring to Missouri. In 2018, he hit .348/.423/.415 in 135 at-bats, with 30 runs, seven doubles, one triple, 17 RBIs, eight stolen bases, and a 16/23 BB/K ratio. He also appeared in five games on the mound. The next season, he started hitting for power, and slashed .369/.460/.572 in 187 at-bats, with 40 runs scored, 13 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 47 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, and an outstanding 32/27 BB/K ratio. He appeared in 15 games as a pitcher, going 1-1, 2.36, with 47 K’s in 26 2/3 innings.

After the move to Missouri for 2020, his playing time was limited. He went 5-36 in ’20, with one inning pitched, and 7-38 in 2021, with 7 1/3 innings on the mound. He has transferred to Louisiana Tech for 2022- watch for a big uptick in his numbers, and I would not be surprised in the least if he’s in pro ball this time next year!

  • (ATVL)
  • (Michael Terndrup)
  • (Michael Terndrup)
  • (ATVL)

(Micahel Terndrup’s photos can be found at photographyninja.smugmug.com!)