March 10, 2004
Amanda Burke, an all-conference and all-region midfielder on the nationally-ranked Texas A&M soccer team, will spend some time visiting this spring with fellow student-athletes in a new feature here on AggieAthletics.com. Amanda sat down this week with Zach Jackson, a junior pitcher on the 12th-ranked Texas A&M baseball team. Jackson is in his first season in Aggieland after transferring from Louisville and is off to a hot start.
Being a newcomer is never easy. Did you feel nervous or feel as if you were treated differently by your teammates?
"I wasn't nervous. I was more excited than anything. We had a bunch of newcomers. We had 19 newcomers, so everybody was coming in every man for himself. There's a lot of competition, and everyone had something to prove basically. You didn't want to come in just based on reputation or anything. You just wanted to be accepted for what you can do on the field."
 Zach Jackson is off to a 4-0 start on the hill including a no-hitter in his first appearance in Aggieland. |
Talk a little bit about what makes Texas A&M different from the University of Louisville in terms of baseball.
"Well, the fans here are awesome...absolutely awesome. There's no comparison. At Louisville, on parents weekend, we'd get about 200 people. I know everybody will say the same thing about their school, but I sincerely do believe we have the best fans in the country, and other guys on other teams have told me the same thing, too. Our fan support and the atmosphere it brings to Olsen are just incredible. It's awesome."
Since you travel, I guess it's fair to say that you can make good comparisons...
"Yeah. We go on road trips, and we find ourselves having more fans than the other team. It's just fun. It's a lot of fun. The coaches here are great. We've got one of the best pitching coaches in the country. We've got a great head coach that's well respected throughout the country. The guys are awesome, too. I mean, it couldn't have worked out any better than it did."
You came to A&M with little knowledge of what to expect. Did you have any visions of what it would be like?
"Well, Texas in general...I definitely pictured everyone wearing cowboy hats, cowboy boots, big seafood platter belt buckles, horses, and everyone doing nothing but hunting and fishing, but it's the complete opposite especially coming from up north and being from Pittsburgh. It's fun. It's a great, new experience, and I absolutely love it."
Have you acquired any of the Texas lingo?
"I have, unfortunately. Yes and no. The only thing I will say, and the only thing I have come to say, is 'y'all.' It does make sense to me because it is quicker. But some things haven't grown on me and won't I don't think, like 'fixin' to.' I can't say it. I just can't bring myself to say that. And everyone is still busting my chops about saying 'pop' instead of everything being coke or soda."
Did you bring "y'all" home with you over Christmas break?
"I did. I actually got made fun of quite a bit for that. Friends of mine that have gone down south to southern schools came back a month or two later saying 'y'all' and everyone just thought it was so fake, but it just grows on you like that. It's contagious I guess."
Your first start for Texas A&M, you pitched a no-hitter. Although you looked calm and collected afterwards, what was really going on in your head?
"I have never been so nervous in my entire life--championship or anything. People told me how exciting and incredible baseball games are here. I still get entertained everyday when I go to the park. Just to see the crowd and the atmosphere here at Olsen is just amazing. That day just happened to work out. Somebody was watching over me, and obviously we played great defense and we smashed the ball, too. It looked a lot easier than it was."
I've noticed this strange congregation of pitchers in front of the dugout at certain points in the game. I see someone drawing in the dirt, everyone spitting on it and then it gets scratched out. What in the world are you guys doing?
"Well, this season we've been pretty famous for coming back, especially in the ninth inning. That's basically our little rally ritual. It depends on who we're playing. We'll draw a design in the dirt like a Jaguar catcher--or something like that--when we were playing South Alabama. Then you have to feed the trap and hope it works for us and everything-that's when we all spit and throw seeds in there. It's probably kind of weird, but, hey, it works (laughing). It works, and we keep putting up dubs!"
So who all has a specific part in this?
"(Smiling) Recently, I've had the hot hand, and I have to pick out the lucky bat to draw it with. J-Mo or Robert Ray or Donaldson will draw the design-whoever has it on that day."
What constitutes a lucky bat? What kind of qualities are you looking for?
"You know, whenever I go over there it's a pretty big decision. The whole rally is on my shoulders whenever I'm picking it. I just have to go with my gut, so whatever one sticks out to me!"
What are you looking forward to most this season?
"With all the talent we have and the potential, we have a legitimate shot at so many things. We can accomplish so many things. We know that the only people who can beat us are ourselves. We've got so much potential. The things that everyone always talk about as dreams are a reality this year--going for a championship, a Big 12 Championship, and getting that ring, and pushing in the tournament to go to Omaha, too. It's all a reality, and everybody knows it. They can feel it. It's exciting."
I heard you are quite the movie guy, and that you're always armed with quotable quotes. Do you have any favorites?
"I am a big movie buff. Basically, I just have two movies that I am a huge fan of: Dumb and Dumber and Old School. Those are the best movies ever created. Every situation calls for a different quote, so you never know what you're going to get. I've got them. I've got them all stored up in my back pocket! Will Ferrell has got to be the best."