JA Raider Sports

Kickoff is just over 9 weeks away, and we're updating the record book in anticipation of another season of Raider football.

One record that got a new owner last fall belongs to Jo Walker.

Walker rewrote the JA Football record book by throwing for a school-record 1,927 yards in a single season, setting a new standard for future Raiders. He finished with 22 TDs in the air and tossed 158 passes before his only interception of the year. He also had 75 carries for 490 yards and 9 TDs.

Congratulations to Deuce Jenkins (OF), Tai Jones (OF), Justin Word (DH) and Whit Davis (SP) for being selected to The Box Sports Academy Metro Jackson Baseball Team. It is comprised of the best 26 players from Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties according to high school and college coaches.

FULL ARTICLE:
https://mississippiscoreboard.com/the-2026-box-sports-academy-metro-jackson-baseball-team/

Congratulations to Schyler Chambers ('25) for earning Second Team All-American honors for his performance this year with the MS Christian University Track Team. He was among the twenty-two Gulf South Conference athletes that were recognized for the 2026 outdoor season.

Congratulations to Deuce Jenkins for being named The Box Sports Academy Metro Player of the Year broke the school record for RBIs (63) and helped break the team record for home runs (35) with his 11 on the season. You can read the story by clicking this link:

https://mississippiscoreboard.com/jackson-academys-justin-reed-and-deuce-jenkins-earn-the-box-sports-academy-metro-jackson-baseball-coach-and-player-of-the-year-honors/

Congratulations to Coach Justin Reed for being named The Box Sports Academy Metro Coach of the Year for guiding the Raiders to their best record since 2011 as they finished with 27 wins and a Top 10 Ranking in most publications. You can read the story by clicking this link:

https://mississippiscoreboard.com/jackson-academys-justin-reed-and-deuce-jenkins-earn-the-box-sports-academy-metro-jackson-baseball-coach-and-player-of-the-year-honors/

What a first year for Emily Buchanan ('23) in Clinton with MS Christian University!!!

She became just the third GSC female athlete in history and first in men's or women's tennis to be named Academic All-America Tennis Team Member of the Year in addition to garnering CSC First Team Academic All-America honors for her 4.0 GPA in the classroom.

She completed an All-America season in singles and doubles. In singles, she finished with a 22-4 mark at the No. 1 position for the Choctaws and ranked No. 4 in both doubles and singles from the ITA. Her doubles record was 20-6, with five victories over ranked opponents.

Congratulations to JT Thigpen ('22) and Cade Gadman ('22) for being named CSC Academic All-District this season.

The 2025-26 Academic All-District Baseball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

The record book didn't just get rewritten once this season—it got rewritten three times.

Coming into the year, the JA Baseball single-season hits record stood at 55, shared by Dakota Jordan and Edwin Smith.

Then the Raiders went to work. Tai Jones finished with 57 hits, while Deuce Jenkins added 60 hits. And the leader in the clubhouse is Justin Word with a new school record of 62 hits.

Three players. Three record-breaking seasons. One unforgettable year for Raider Baseball.

Records are made by players who come through in big moments—and Deuce Jenkins did that all season long.

Deuce set a new JA Baseball single-season RBI record with 63 RBIs, breaking Dakota Jordan's mark of 57 from 2022.

Along the way, he put together an 11-game RBI streak and drove in a season-best 6 runs against Starkville HS, cementing one of the most productive offensive seasons in program history.

Leading off. Getting on. Scoring runs.

Justin Word did it better than anyone in JA Baseball history this season, scoring 60 runs to break the school record of 55 set by Michael Luley in 2011. He scored at least one run in 31 of the 38 games played this season.