Shaw dedicates baseball field to Edwin Jackson

School dedicates field to star of 2001 state championship team

By KEVIN PRICE

kprice@ledger-enquirer.com

More than 14 years have passed since Edwin Jackson and the Shaw Raiders swept Columbus to win the 2001 Class AAAA state baseball championship.

Jackson's professional career has taken him to multiple stops in the Major Leagues. On Friday, however, Jackson was back on the field where he honed his craft as a teenager.

The school dedicated the baseball field to Jackson with several signs and plaques, including one on the outfield wall that reads "Edwin Jackson Raider Field."

"This is not something I could have imagined coming up playing in school to have the field dedicated to you," Jackson said Friday. "But it is a testament to all the hard work and all the people I have been fortunate enough to touch throughout my years. It is something that I won't forget. And to be able to embrace it with family and friends makes it even more special."

Shaw also honored Jackson's teammates and coaches from that 2001 state championship team as several of them were in attendance at the ceremony. Shaw also brought its pep band and filled with stands with students.

"There are a lot of memories that come back from that 2001 season," Jackson said. "That was a great group of guys. There are a lot of guys from that team that I am still friends with today, and they are like the brothers I have never had. We are a tight-knit group of guys, and I think that help us win that year. Coach (Charles) Flowers could let us go out on our own and

we knew what to do in practice. We knew what needed to get done. We didn't play around. We went out and focused on what needed to focus on."

Flowers, who also led the football team to a state championship in 2000, a rare double in the same school year, said he was proud of Jackson.

"It is good to see the progress he has made as a young man," Flowers said. "But he is still the same humble young man. Edwin Jackson is quiet and dedicated."

Jackson, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of Shaw in the sixth round in 2001, just finished his 13th major league season.

He ended the season as a reliver in the Braves bullpen. He went 2-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 24 games.

Jackson is a free agent as of Nov. 2. He is eligible to sign with any major league team.

Kevin Price, Follow Kevin on Twitter @lesports

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Shaw dedicates baseball field to Edwin Jackson ."