Assistant Coach - Baseball

Noah Jackson

Cal posted consecutive 32-win seasons in Jackson’s two seasons as a full-time assistant coach (2018-19). The 2019 campaign was capped by Cal’s first trip to an NCAA Regional since 2015 as the Bears punched their ticket as an at-large bid and the No. 2 seed in the Fayetteville (Ark.) Regional. Later that summer, Cal saw seven players selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft including first-round picks Andrew Vaughn (No. 3 overall, White Sox) and Korey Lee (No. 32 overall, Houston). Vaughn and Lee - both of which went undrafted out of high school - became the first duo in school history to be taken in the first round of the same draft. Vaughn, who was the program’s highest-drafted player ever, was also named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award for the second straight year.

In 2018, Jackson mentored Vaughn, who emerged as one of the nation’s top players and became the first Cal Baseball player ever to win the prestigious Golden Spikes Award as the country’s top amateur player.

Jackson's third year in his current role, 2020, was cut short after 16 games due to public safety regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Two Bears - Quentin Selma and Darren Baker - were named to the 2020 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award watch list early in the season. Selma paced the Bears offensively under Jackson's guidance, driving in 16 runs while being named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for Feb. 17-23.

As Cal’s volunteer assistant in 2015, Jackson helped the Bears go 36-21, finish third in the Pac-12 standings, and reach an NCAA Regional (College Station, Texas). Prior to joining the Cal staff in 2015, Jackson was a professional scout for the San Diego Padres.

Jackson played in 48 career games for the Bears, primarily as a first baseman and outfielder, from 2001-03 after transferring from Arkansas. He was a member of the 2001 Cal team that went 34-25 overall and reached the NCAA Baton Rouge (La.) Regional. He went on to play two years of minor league baseball for the Chicago Cubs organization.

Off the field, Jackson turned his love of baseball into a force for positive change. In 2003, he co-founded the First Base Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to making travel baseball more affordable and transforming lives through mentorship, development of leadership skills and building self-esteem.

Jackson earned his undergraduate degree in American Studies from Cal in 2003.  A native of Mill Valley, Calif., Jackson attended Marin Catholic High School (Kentfield, Calif.) and is the godson of Dusty Baker, who spent a decorated 41 years in Major League Baseball as a player and manager. Jackson’s father, Sylvester, served as a radio broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics from 1987-92.