Jackson Harrell enjoys camaraderie during time with Fort Smith Marshals

If there’s something that Jackson Harrell really likes about his experience playing for the Fort Smith Marshals, it’s the camaraderie he has with his teammates. Especially when the team hits the road, taking long bus trips to places like Abilene, Texas.

“The most surprising thing that you didn’t expect is the bond you create with some of these guys that you’ve never met before, and how close you get to them in just over a month,” said Harrell, an infielder. “Because almost every day, you’re together on the road, on a bus just seven hours from Abilene.”

But the Marshals aren’t the only team in the Mid-America League that Harrell has been able to bond with other players. He’s familiar with some of the Sherman (Texas) Shadowcats, having played his first season of college baseball in Sherman at Grayson College.

“I’m very familiar with that area,” Harrell said. “(I know) those guys on the Sherman team, some of the guys on the Abilene team, so I have a lot of friends throughout the league, guys that I played with growing up in previous years. It’s awesome.”

Harrell has Texas roots, having grown up in Cedar Park, a suburb of Austin. He played both baseball and football at Cedar Park’s Vista Ridge High School. For the football team his senior year, Harrell was the team’s starting quarterback. Then in baseball, primarily playing second base, he was an All-District and an All-State selection.

After spending his first year of college playing baseball at Grayson, Harrell transferred to Carl Albert State College in Poteau, playing there this past season. That eventually led to him spending this summer with the Marshals due to the presence of the team’s manager, Buddy Mercado, who is an assistant coach at Carl Albert.

“Buddy was one of our coaches, one of our assistants, and he wanted me to come and play for his team in Fort Smith and I couldn’t deny it, that was a good opportunity,” Harrell said. “So this is my first year with the Marshals and I’m loving it; it’s awesome going on the road, playing baseball every day. It’s a great time.”

Harrell also enjoys being part of the fan experience at Marshals’ games, whether it’s postgame fireworks on Friday nights or the between-inning games like the dizzy bat race and the home run derby.

“I’ve got a great host mom, she’s got some pets, and we love to play with her cats and her dog,” he said. “So it’s just like being at home, just like being at home having pets, it’s like a family here.”

Harrell is also having fun at the plate. On June 23, he was named the team’s Player of the Week after hitting .438 with seven RBIs, including Harrell’s first home run of the season in a game at Texarkana. His ability to make consistent contact with the ball is what Harrell considers his best attribute.

“I feel like I’m a pretty well-rounded baseball player, good in the field and good at the plate,” he said. “If I had to pick a strength, I’d say my bat-to-ball skill; I put a lot of balls in play, not a lot of strikeouts. I think if I had to pick a strength of mine, that would probably be a good one.”

Since Harrell has used up his junior-college eligibility, he is searching to hook on with a four-year school. Beyond baseball, Harrell is in the process of becoming an airline pilot, having flown solo when he was 18.

“I’ve got some (schools) that I like and just looking for anything else I can, hoping to keep playing baseball at the highest level I can and keep my body healthy and ready to go to a school in the fall,” he said. “I feel like I haven’t even played my best baseball yet. So I’m just trying to put my best shot on the field that I can.”