Jackson Runyon Officially Commits to Virginia Tech Baseball Program

The Office of Athletics recently celebrated Jackson Runyon '24, who signed a letter of intent to continue his baseball career with Virginia Tech.

Jackson made his commitment with the Hokies official on Nov. 8 during a ceremony in the Thomas W. Johnson Gymnasium in the Beazley Center. Jackson's family, coaches, teammates, friends, faculty and staff were all in attendance.

"I can't help but think of how lucky Coach Szefc and the rest of the coaching staff at Virginia Tech are to have not just an athlete of Jackson's caliber but a human being that is the definition of integrity, hard work, commitment, sacrifice and being a great teammate," said Varsity Baseball Coach Joey Seal. "Virginia Tech is getting all of that and more."

Coach Seal reflected on his relationship with Jackson and his family. When Coach Seal arrived at NSA, Jackson was in the sixth grade and was already a talented athlete. However, it's what Jackson did with that talent in the years following that impressed Coach Seal most.

"When I think about Jackson, I can't help but think about one of my favorite books, 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell," said Coach Seal. "In that book, it focuses on the people who set themselves apart from everyone else in their fields, and there's a quote in that book that outliers aren't just people who are given opportunity. They're people who are strong enough and have the presence of mind to take that opportunity and really do something with it. Jackson was given an opportunity a long time ago to be a phenomenal athlete, and he has done nothing but continue to build on that."

Director of Athletics T.W. Johnson '92 said Jackson has made himself a fixture in the NSA community, and his presence will be deeply missed when he graduates.

"I really appreciate his love for our school and his spirit for our school and his support for not only the teammates that he's played with in football and baseball but also his spirit and passion and support for his peers that play other sports," said Coach Johnson. "It's very common to see him supporting other teams, and I think that's really neat. He's been a person who's been fully engaged in our school community, always participating during Homecoming Week and things like that, so I think he's really someone who has taken full advantage of our school community and enhanced it." 

While Jackson has solidified his college plans, he still has his final season of baseball at NSA ahead of him, with the team's sights set on another run in the VISAA tournament in 2024. 

Congratulations to Jackson, and best of luck to our Saints baseball team this spring!