Isaiah Jackson had his dream in the palm of his hand. Fresh out of high school from Cienega High School just south of Tucson, the local legend had just finished a season where he hit well over .500 for the Bobcats, cementing his name as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Arizona. Jackson’s rare combination of power and speed was appealing enough to the Houston Astros, as the reigning World Series champions selected the man they call “Jacks” with the 553rd overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. All that was left was to put pen to paper.

Jackson signed a contract after his high school season, but it wasn’t the minuscule offer from the Houston Astros that would send him to the depths of their minor league system. Unlike his lifelong idol Ken Griffey Jr., Jackson chose to instead sign his National Letter of Intent, with the return address reading the name of Phoenix Municipal Stadium and the Arizona State Sun Devils. The name on the envelope, though, wasn’t that of Willie Bloomquist, as the previous staff was responsible for securing Jackson’s commitment before the Sun Devil great returned home.

“Credit to the previous staff that committed him,” Bloomquist said after Saturday’s 6-2 win. “We did watch him once we took over and knew that he was a guy that they were right about. I knew he was gonna be not only as physically talented but a special kid.”

In the early goings, it seemed as if Jackson may have gone in the red by betting on himself. After an exciting opening series as a Sun Devil that included his first collegiate home run and the robbery of another one on defense, the hype of “Jacks” appeared to be real. However, he soon learned that Arizona 5A baseball (second-best division in the state) was no match for the difficulties that would come with being a regular starter at a Power Five school.

“What I’ve learned is college baseball is so much about momentum,” Jackson said. “I was kinda getting frustrated. This level, everybody’s throwing the ball like mid-90s, and everyone’s getting the heater going. That’s the biggest thing, staying through that fastball and being able to recognize offspeed.”

In nine at-bats in the Mississippi State series, Jackson couldn’t figure out college pitching no matter how hard it was thrown, as he didn’t record a hit in Starkville, including a platinum sombrero in the series opener. This served as a prelude to a forgettable month of March, where Jackson would end the month with a .229 batting average. What stood out the most among Jackson’s struggles was his strikeout problems. His eight strikeouts in nine at-bats against Mississippi State didn’t improve as the calendar turned, as Jackson would get rung up in all but three of his 19 appearances that month. Entering this weekend against Washington State, Jackson’s average was pitiful, his strikeout numbers through the roof, and surely his confidence down the drain. Where fans saw a struggling freshman who could benefit from some games in the dugout, head coach Willie Bloomquist saw great promise.

“He does have tremendous physical abilities,” Bloomquist noted. “I think when you manage expectations based on what he’s capable of doing, he has the potential to be very, very good.”

Knowing his head coach still believed in him, Jackson started to believe in himself again.

“You gotta know your strengths and weaknesses,” Jackson said. “You gotta know what you can do in your ability, making a name for yourself in what you’re best at.”

With the impending return of Nick McClain from injury, there was no better time than this weekend for Jackson to be at his best with his daily spot in the outfield on the line. Rather than go for style points, Jackson looked to get off the schneid in the least sexy way possible: just getting on base. In ASU’s comeback win on Friday, Jackson didn’t record a single hit but was vital to the miraculous victory. Jackson’s first two at-bats ended in outs but with a sign of life as he put hard contact on a groundout and flyout.

With ASU trying to rally in the seventh, Jackson went the patient route and forced the count full before leaning into a pitch to load the bases. However, the rulebook deems such an act to be illegal, which sent Jackson to the bench rather than first base. It seemed like the culmination of a slump, but it ultimately helped Jackson see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Running into the dugout after the top of the ninth down two runs, Jackson was all smiles despite the deficit.

“Let’s do something cool,” he said to his teammates as he came in.

As it turns out, he would get the chance to do something quite cool. With the bases loaded, Jackson decided to ditch his small ball approach to bust his slump and go for it all. Hindsight, Jackson thought he got a little too amped up for a potential Sportscenter-worthy spot.

“I let the moment get too big a bit,” Jackson recalls. “I got into a situation where I knew he was gonna challenge me.”

Working the count full with improved plate discipline, Jackson nearly made the flagship morning show’s highlight reels, but a medium breeze kept him from what would’ve been a walk-off grand slam. Unlike his previous at-bats, though, it was a highly productive out, as the tying run would score before ASU finished it off thereafter. Having missed a signature moment by a matter of feet, Jackson came out on Saturday looking to improve upon it.

His first at-bat on Saturday was a far cry from the man who whiffed five times in Starkville two months ago. Working the count full again, Jackson took a walk to start the third, just the fourth base on balls he had gotten this season. His next plate appearance was a bit more of what Sun Devil fans expected out of the highly-touted prospect, a 408-foot blast to center field to tie the game in the fifth.

“Just gotta get a heater to hit and took it to center,” Jackson described. “Felt good.”

Teammate Ross Dunn had some insider information on how Jackson got that few extra feet on Saturday.

“Saw him doing curls before the game,” Dunn pointed out.

Jackson, though cited his own studying of his struggles and fixing them to get himself on track.

“I just had an adjustment a couple of games ago,” Jackson said. “I was talking with (Mike) Goff a little bit, and something he noticed a lot was my head was moving a lot in my swing. Was cueing in on staying on my legs and seeing the ball a lot better and more barrels on the bar.”

Bloomquist also made a note of Jackson’s mechanical improvements.

“His balance is much better in his swing right now,” Bloomquist said. “He was getting really, really inconsistent with his finish and falling all over the plate, swinging out of the zone. You can’t stay balanced if you’re swinging out of the zone. So swinging at strikes, getting the ball up for him a little bit, and he’s been really doing a good job the last couple of days of laying off pitches down in the zone that he had been chasing previously.”

Whether it was some pregame lifting, his own adjustments, or the lack of wind at Muni on Saturday in comparison to Friday, Jackson’s blast was the first two runs of six unanswered that the Sun Devils would plate en route to their 16th victory in their last 18 games. Should Jackson keep rolling, that number could get even more crooked as the Sun Devils’ schedule begins to ramp up in the coming weeks.

“To be able to get him going and get him hot would be outstanding,” Bloomquist said with a smile. “I know he’s capable of doing it. If I see what I think I see, he’s getting close. As long as he continues to work and identify the things he has to work at, he’s got a chance to be very special.”

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