Baseball Game Preview: Jackson Academy Raiders vs. Hartfield Academy Hawks

Jackson Academy hasn't had much luck against Hartfield Academy recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the Hawks at 6:00 p.m. Hartfield Academy took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Jackson Academy, who comes in off a win.

Jackson Academy is headed out to face Hartfield Academy after opening their season at home and giving their fans just what they were looking for. Everything went the Raiders' way against Starkville Academy last Saturday as they made off with a 12-2 victory.

Deuce Jenkins

Hits (Career)

02/07/26 vs Starkville Academy	4
05/07/25 vs Hartfield Academy	2
04/24/25 @ Jackson Prep	2
04/17/25 @ St. Joseph Catholic	2
02/28/25 @ Simpson Academy	2

Deuce Jenkins was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Justin Word was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Hartfield Academy and Madison-Ridgeland Academy meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Hawks fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 4-2. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Hawks couldn't push the score so high this time.

Hartfield Academy also got a good showing from Latham Bynum, who pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit.

At the plate, Hartfield Academy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ken Shelton, who went 1-for-2 with one run.

Jackson Academy couldn't quite get it done against Hartfield Academy in their previous meeting back in May of 2025 as they fell 6-1. Can the Raiders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.