November 1st, 2025
Post 43 Announces New Head Coach and Varsity Assistant Coaches for the Jackson Giants
Post 43 is proud to announce the hiring of Chris Jones as the new Head Coach of the Jackson Giants. Coach Jones brings nearly 30 years of coaching experience spanning all levels of baseball, including high school, NCAA Division I and II, and professional baseball.
Over his distinguished career, Coach Jones has served 19 seasons as a head coach at the high school level and more than a decade in college baseball. His collegiate coaching experience includes four years at the NCAA Division I level with St. John’s University, Georgetown University, and Charleston Southern University, as well as five years at the NCAA Division II level—three of those as a head coach. In addition, Coach Jones has led teams in the prestigious Alaska Baseball League and the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
At the professional level, Coach Jones has spent three years coaching in independent minor league baseball and served as a coach for a team competing in the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Panama City, Panama, in 2022. Throughout his career, more than 60 of his former players have signed professional baseball contracts, including two Major League Baseball first-round draft picks. Eight of his former players have reached the Major Leagues, and another currently serves as a Major League coach.
Post 43 is thrilled to welcome Coach Jones and looks forward to his leadership and experience guiding the Jackson Giants program. We are tentatively planning a “Meet and Greet with Coach Jones” on Saturday, December 6th with hitting and pitching clinics on December 6th and 7th at The Breeze. Specifics and times to come. Coach Jones is looking for housing for the summer in Jackson or the surrounding area. Coach Jones, his wife, two little dogs, and two daughters are looking for a rental if anyone has any leads. Thanks! → jacksonholegiantsbaseball@gmail.com or contact General Manager, James Howell: 307.413.3346
Post 43 Welcomes New Varsity Assistant Coaches
Post 43 is also pleased to announce the addition of Brad Schroeder and Ryan Smith as Varsity Assistant Coaches for the upcoming season.
Coach Schroeder, originally from Columbus, Georgia, brings a strong collegiate baseball background to the program. He played junior college baseball in Marianna, Florida, and Phenix City, Alabama, before completing his collegiate career at the University of West Georgia. Coach Schroeder has also been instrumental in developing a very robust youth baseball program in Jackson for the last nine years.
Coach Smith, a native of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, played college baseball at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Burlington Community College in New Jersey. In addition to his baseball experience, Coach Smith is a former amateur mixed martial arts competitor and a strength and conditioning coach.
Post 43 is excited to welcome Coach Schroeder and Coach Smith to the program and looks forward to the expertise, energy, and leadership they will contribute to the Jackson Giants!
We still have one Prep team 15U coaching position to fill for the upcoming season. Please direct any interested coaching candidates to jacksonholegiantsbaseball@gmail.com.
The Breeze Fall Clean Out
We would like ALL current Jackson Giants players to remove all personal items from the Breeze indoor facility by November 12th. Attendance is encouraged on 11/5 to meet the new assistant coaching staff of the Giants. The Breeze will be open the following dates and times for players to collect personal items:
- November 5th: 4-6pm
- November 6th: 4-6pm
- November 12th: 4-6pm
HitTrax installation at The Breeze indoor facility
Thanks to an anonymous donor, we will be installing a state of the art HitTrax system. HitTrax provides real-time stats and key performance metrics, along with powerful video analysis, trend reports and more. Patented technology provides a one-of-a-kind experience that fosters player engagement and a meaningful connection with instruction. More HitTrax information HERE.
15U Prep Player Welcome!
We are so excited for your child to be joining the American Legion Jackson Giants Baseball Program! Age Limits: The 2026 Prep Team (U15) will consist of kids born in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Athletes turning 13 – 15 in 2026 can play American Legion baseball.
Tryouts / Practices
Coaches attempt to have baseball year-round. There is usually Fall Ball in September and October and winter workouts from December through March. Tryouts typically begin right after spring break. Practices can be 2-3 times per week depending on coaches and game schedules.
Team Fees
Cost for the Prep C program is $2000 which includes: coaches’ salaries and their travel expenses, field use, field maintenance/prep, umpire fees, equipment etc. The program will cover hotel rooms for the boys at the Green River Tournament only and attempt to rent a van that carries all of them to the tournament. All other overnight stays will be up to the parents to cover as they are not always necessary and are at the option of each family to spend the night or not.
The program fee can be 100% subsidized by assisting with business sponsorships for the program. We ask families to sell banners to hang on our fences during the season (May – August). 50% of the sales amount will go towards payment of your fees (e.g if you sell a total of $1000 in sponsorships, you will receive a credit of $500 towards your fee). All final balances must be paid before your son is handed a uniform.
Fundraising
We are open to all fundraising ideas. Please contact one of the board members if you have an idea to share with us. Our long-standing Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser is open to anyone in town. The date is usually in late April or early May before the season starts and is a great way for the boys to bond as a team. We typically pair this with an auction of some sort. More details to come. The American Legion Baseball Team has been the only vendor at Elk Fest (a Saturday event in May on the town square). We sell coffee, breakfast burritos and hamburgers/hotdogs and ask families and players to volunteer to assist in this wonderful event.
Volunteering
There will be many opportunities to volunteer during the season which includes: running concessions, scoreboard and playing music for home games in addition to running GameChanger at all games.
Winter Training, Breeze Access, and Team Communication
More to come on hitting, pitching, and strength and conditioning for the 25/26 season. Our new communicative tool for the Jackson Giants will be the “Team Stack App.” You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook @post43giants Feel free to also email jacksonholegiantsbaseball@gmail.com
