VIDEO: Jordan Griffin Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In the second part of a three-part series previewing the 2021 position groups for Carson-Newman baseball, we take a look the outfield group with senior Jordan Griffin.
"Whenever one person doesn't have a good day, you know you have two other veteran guys around you to help you pick up" Griffin said. "In the outfield, everything is in sync. You don't have to ask too many questions because we already know the situation. Everything works better than if we were new just getting out there."
While the team has to fill the shoes of two-time first-team All-South Atlantic Conference selection Tyler Thompson who is now at Illinois, the outfielders return 191 starts with three players seeing significant action over the course of their careers.
Griffin has played in 129 total games for his career racking up 15 home runs, 63 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. The Ellerslie, Ga. native tied for the team lead in stolen bags a year ago with seven in just 25 games missing a good chunk of the first month with an injury. Playing his best baseball at the end of the year, the right-handed hitter tallied three hits in six at-bats in the SAC Tournament including going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored to hand Wingate its first loss of the postseason on April 25.
"It started off in the summer," Griffin said. "We played summer ball and had a good experience. Coming back in the fall, we were a very veteran group. We know what it feels like to fall short of a SAC Championship. We all have a fire up under us so we have all been doing a lot."
In the corner outfield spots, Gunnar Ricketts (Hixson, Tenn.) and Henry Jackson (Waxhaw, N.C.) should see the majority of the time. Ricketts has played in 59 games in two years after transferring from Tennessee. He has a career batting average of .341 with an eye-popping .458 on-base percentage with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts.
Last season, Ricketts produced 17 extra-base hits and hit nearly .400 in the final two months of the year blasting four homers. The Volunteer State native produced nine multi-hit games and hit safely in eight of the final nine games of the season adding eight walks. His best day at the ball park came on March 21 as he hit two homers and drove in three as part of a 3-for-5 day with a double and three runs scored.
Jackson also saw time at first base and has a career .346 batting average striking out a total of 23 times in 57 career games. He finished the year with 12 multi-hit games and drove in at least one run in five of the final nine contests of his sophomore season. His standout day on the diamond came on Feb. 12 as he went 3-for-4 finishing a homer shy of the cycle driving in five runs and scoring once.
"They are both great guys," Griffin said. "Gunnar is going to do whatever he can to make a play and be the guy we want him to be. Henry 'Action' Jackson, you can't go wrong with him. He is going to do whatever we need him to do."
Adding depth, Ryan Potts (Dandridge, Tenn.) was mostly a defensive substitute a year ago as a freshman and Carson Kemp (Adairsville, Ga.) was the main pinch-running option. Jacob Hoffman (Seymour, Tenn.) was used as a pinch hitter and freshman Spencer Williams will play a factor.
The third and final part of the position previews will be released on Saturday with a look at the with a look at the infield with Micah Genter previewing a group that returns starters around the diamond.
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