Assistant Coach
4th Season 

Matthew Jackson is in his fourth season as assistant coach at Johnson County Community College. He brought an extensive career working and playing in collegiate athletics when he arrived on campus in 2022. 

Last season, the Cavaliers opened the season ranked seventh in the NJCAA D-II Preseason Poll and were picked as the favorite to win the KJCCC D-II title. Johnson County got off to a slow start, standing 5-6 entering the March portion of their schedule, but would finish strong, win the Region 6 Tournament to advance to the NJCAA D-II World Series where they would finish in fifth place with a 37-17 record. Johnson County also had 11 players selected as All-KJCCC D-II and All-Region 6 D-II, the most of her career and most since in program history since 2002. 

In 2024, Johnson County opened the season ranked No. 8 nationally and were the favorites to win the KJCCC D-II title. JCCC went on to finish the season with a record of 46-12 while capturing the conference championship. Despite falling in the region/district championship to Fort Scott, the Lady Cavaliers received one of the first at-large bids to compete in the NJCAA D-II World Series and they capitalized by posting a fifth-place finish. Individually seven players were selected all-conference/all-district with freshman third baseman Aspen Burgardt paving the way by being named both the Freshman of the Year and MVP of the conference. She would go on to be selected first-team All-American by the NJCAA and was named the D-II National Player of the Year, the first in team history, making her most decorated player in team history. She along with teammate Kate Ediger was also named as All-America performers by the NFCA.

In his first season at JCCC, the Lady Cavaliers opened the season unranked but at the end of the season they found themselves ranked among the top-20 programs in the country at No. 13. JCCC finished the season with a record of 33-9 and were co-champions of the Kansas Jayhawk D-II Conference. Individually 10 players were selected all-conference/all-district, with right-hand pitcher Jordan Harrison landing the Most Valuable Player award, proving to be one of the best arms in the conference punctuated by her selection as Pitcher of the Week five times during the season. She also was tabbed third-team All-American. 

In his three seasons, Jackson has played a pivotal role in developing the JCCC’s offensive approach at the plate, and the results prove that to be true. JCCC has hit a .390 clip over that span, including a team record and NJCAA third-best .412 average in his first season. Also, over that span, four players hitting over .500 in a season, and 27 over .350.  Additionally, JCCC has belted 440 doubles highlighted by a record 178 in 2023, scored 1,140 runs, drove in 1079 runners and slugged .644. In this first three season, coach Jackson’s offense has broken multiple program records and has developed some of the best hitters in program history.  JCCC has produced the top batting in the conference in each of his three campaigns, had the most doubles a three, and hits, home runs and extra base hits two of three years with the program. 

Jackson has also helped coach the 2024 NJCAA D-II National Player of the Year (Aspen Burgardt), two NJCAA All-American (Jordan Harrison, Aspen Burgardt), two NFCA All-Americans (Aspen Burgardt, Kate Ediger), two NJCAA D-II All-Tournament selection (Maggie McNally, Jalin Lavers), 28 NJCAA All-Region 6 performers and 28 All-KJCCC D-II performers, including the 2023 MVP (Jordan Harrison) and the 2024 MVP and Freshman of the Year (Aspen Burdgardt). 

Off the field in his three fall semesters with the program, 89 percent of JCCC’s softball players have produced a grade point average of 3.0 or better. In 2023, pitcher Jordan Harrison, infielder Toree Hoobler and catcher Gaige Pinkerton became the first softball players to be selected Academic All-District® by College Sports Communicators, and Harrison was selected as the College Division recipient of the CSC Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year award, the first in program history. In 2024, Kate Ediger and Maggie McNally were named to the CSC Academic All-District® Women's College Division At-Large Team and McNally went to be selected CSC Academic All-America® Women's College Division At-Large Team. In 2025, Aspen Burgardt, Izzy Carter, Jaylee Jefferson and Jalin Lavers McNally were named to the CSC Academic All-America® Women's College Division At-Large Team, the most in one year, and Burgardt became the third softball player to be selected CSC Academic All-America® Women's College Division At-Large Team. Additionally, 29 student-athletes over the past three years have earned NJCAA All-Academic honors by posting a GPA of 3.60 or better. 

Jackson came to JCCC after serving four seasons as assistant coach for coach Dustin Combs at William Jewell College. In his first campaign in 2019, he helped the Cardinals to a 24-24 mark and coach Courtney Beatty who posted a career-best .395 average on her way to unanimous first-team All-GLVC selection. Last season, he helped lead third baseman Allison Rawls to unanimous first-team All-GLVC honors, making them the only two players in William Jewell history to be All-GLVC unanimous selections. In all he mentored five All-GLVC performers and two NFCA All-Region honorees. 

In 2020 Jackson was named one of the Top 100 College Coaches in the nation by Extra Inning Softball, and in 2021 he was awarded the Easton/NFCA D-II Assistant Coach of the Year from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. 

Prior to William Jewell, Jackson served three seasons as an assistant at Baker University, helping lead the program to a 94-70 mark. In his final season, the Wildcats won a school record 41 games in 2018 and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in program history. Over his three campaigns, he helped mentor a total of 12 All-Conference selections, four conference gold glove award winners and two first-team All-Americans. He also saw nine players garner 12 NAIA Scholar Athlete honors, one Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America first-team selection and one Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member. 

Jackson also served a season as an assistant on the staff for the Washburn University baseball program. In 2015, the Ichabods went 33-20 and finished in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament and climbed as high as No. 6 in the national polls. 

Jackson played baseball for the Ichobods in 2013 and 2014, batting .307 in 46 games with 12 doubles and four home runs his final season. He started 45 games at first base and was an All-MIAA selection. 

A native of Lincoln, Neb., Jackson earned his associate’s degree in arts as well as science from Cloud County Community College in 2012. He received his bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from Washburn in 2015 and his master’s in sports management from Baker in 2018. He graduated from Lincoln North Star High School in 2010.  He currently lives in Raymore, Mo., with his wife Shelby and two children Harlie and Remington.