New man.
Hungry man.
Smart man.
Same, old ridiculously devastating power hitter.
A year after tormenting the Granite State on the hardwood and the baseball diamond – both resulting in Division I state titles – Jackson Marshall, the 2024 two-sport Eagle-Tribune Player of the Year, found a way to raise his game another couple notches in his freshman campaign at Southern New Hampshire University.
And now, the Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Rookie of the Year is sitting on top of the world. Marshall began courting Division 1 college offers on Tuesday, the second his name hit the NCAA transfer portal. The interest is real, and it’s significant for the slugging first baseman out of Pinkerton Academy.
“It’s been fun,” said Marshall, who also earned second-team all-conference honors for the Penmen.
“I didn’t think I was going to have as much success as I did, but I just kept showing up every day (from the start of fall ball) and I continued to get better and better as time went on.”
Marshall showed signs of what might be brewing at the next level as early as last summer with the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.
But he wasn’t resting. In fact, Marshall got himself into the best shape of his life.
“I lost 45 pounds when I got back to school. I wanted to get myself in better shape,” said the 6-foot-8, 250-pounder. “It was all about eating right, and I kept working out. I could see the change. I got a little bit faster. My hands feel quicker, and it only helped (with my power).”
Marshall doubled twice in his SNHU debut on Myrtle Beach back in February and simply never stopped hitting. Starting all 48 games, he hit .337 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs, good for a team-high 1.084 OPS.
The utter decimation of opposing pitching now has Marshall thinking big – with good reason.
Marshall has seen, up close and personal, how the portal can be worked to perfection. Former Pinkerton teammate Liam Doyle is the prime example of a player cashing in on the NCAA’s transfer and NIL rules.
He went from a solid freshman at Coastal Carolina to a promising sophomore year at Ole Miss. This spring he’s vaulted to national prominence as the ace of the staff for No. 17 Tennessee, zooming up the MLB Draft charts to the point that he might be a top 20 (overall) draft pick this summer.
Doyle, the 2021 and 2022 Eagle-Tribune Player of the Year, is more than happy to add assistance.
“I already text him, and he’s going to help me out with stuff,” said Marshall. “I’m all right at selling myself. I’m not sure what is going to happen, but I have to see what is out there.”