Three stolen bases.
It seems like a very small statistic for a player who has amassed 97 stolen bases over a four-year career, but for senior shortstop Amber Jackson, those three stolen bases represent the last hurdle in joining a very elite group of players.
The 3-2-1 club, as it is called, has only 11 other members in the history of NCAA softball. The title refers to players who record 300 hits, 200 runs and 100 stolen bases in a career, and today might be the day Jackson takes her place in the group, as the Terrapin softball team takes on George Washington in a doubleheader. She currently has 326 hits, 244 runs and 97 steals.
“It’s the coolest thing,” Jackson said. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing. I had to go back and look at my own stats because I usually just play and don’t worry about all the stats I get.”
Jackson, in her first season with the Terps after playing three years at Bethune-Cookman College, took the 2006 season off to transfer to this university to earn her master’s degree. Bethune-Cookman was also going through a coaching change as former coach Laura Watten left to take the head coach position at this university.
Jackson said the transfer was “one of the toughest decisions I had ever made.”
“I wasn’t just leaving the school but I was also leaving my family who were the girls I was with down in Florida,” Jackson said. “I felt like I was letting them down, but they supported me and that was very helpful in transferring to a new place.”
At Bethune-Cookman, Jackson amassed an impressive resumé as a three-time All-American while piling up 285 hits, 203 runs and 74 stolen bases.
Watten knew Jackson was something special when Watten began recruiting Jackson in her sophomore season of high school, right after Jackson started playing for the first time.
“It really shows the depth of what she’s been able to accomplish,” Watten said. “It shows a combination of offensive qualities that not many people have. She’s really accomplished so much in her career and it’s nice to see her come from a small D-I school and come here and produce on a big stage. She really lays everything out there on the field.”
Her success has continued this year with the Terps, as she leads the ACC with 16 home runs, a slugging percentage of .900, 38 walks and 23 stolen bases. Jackson has already set Terp school records for most home runs and RBIs.
Her sister, Sarde Stewart, who has played with Amber at Boston College and at Maryland, said she knew her sister was going to be a great player after her freshman year at Bethune-Cookman.
“She was very serious about it,” Stewart said. “I’m very proud of her, and I tell her that all the time.”
With the prospect of Jackson joining the 3-2-1 club tonight, the Colonials will need to watch out for her each time she makes it to first base.
Contact reporter Kyle Wannen at kwannendbk@gmail.com.
