Richard Follows In His Father’s Footsteps To UMass

Jackson Richard OF / Boston College, MA / 2025

PEMBROKE, Ma. - Following in his father’s footsteps at UMass Amherst is a great feeling for Jackson Richard.

“He taught me the sport,” Richard said of his dad, James, who played third base at the university before converting to pitcher in the late-90s. “He practiced with me and encouraged me, being that role model.”

Now the Boston College High School junior will have the opportunity to be part of the UMass program after a commitment to the university located 21/2 hours from home.

“He didn’t necessarily give me a push to go there, but he thought it would be a place I liked,” the 11th-rated 2025 outfielder in New England noted. “Together we made that decision and he’s really happy for me.”

It was last August when Richard was playing in a tournament in Connecticut that UMass took notice.

“I played pretty well and they said they wanted me to come on a visit,” Richard reflected. “I was playing football so I didn’t go until November. When I went, I loved the school and the facilities. But I took my time weighing all my options before I decided UMass is where I wanted to go.”

Richard pointed to the Future Games as “the first thing that helped with the process” in his recruitment.

“That exposure definitely helped,” Richard related. “When Aug. 1 came around I got phone calls from coaches at Bryant, UMass and UMass Lowell. After that I did a lot of camps and summer ball that coaches were at. I tried to see as many schools before making a decision. It was a little stressful, but I wanted to make sure it was a school I wanted to go to for four years.”

UMass liked what they saw in the 5-11 187-pound left-handed hitting outfielder.

“I think that they liked that I have speed, my arm strength and that I’m a pretty good hitter,” Richard said. “They think I can make an impact on the team.”

Improvement is a big reason for that.

“Last year and this year especially, I worked on arm strength and power at the plate,” Richard explained. “With my frame I have a lot of room I can develop. Speed is another thing they want me to work on and develop along with arm strength.”

In addition to his father, Richard pointed to his mother Kate, who also went to UMass, with playing a major role in his baseball journey along with coaches Mike Falco, Joe Sullivan, Steve Healy, Tom Conley and Dan Cobban, plus Pete Mworka and the Prospects organization.

“It’s definitely a sigh of relief to get to the next level,” the 95th-ranked 2025 in New England said. “This is something I dreamed about when I was younger. It’s the next step, but I need to work even harder now. Nothing is guaranteed.”

Richard, a 3.3 student who plans to major in either sport management or business management, is confident about his abilities to help out a program that is currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference but will be moving to the Mid-American Conference beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.

“I think I will be someone who can make an impact early,” Richard noted. “Starting freshman year may be a stretch, but it’s a goal. I’ll be someone who will get on base, score a lot of runs and make plays in the outfield.”

That is just part of what lies ahead after high school for the 17-year-old.

“I’m looking forward to playing that level of Division I baseball in a competitive area, being among other guys that share the same interests as me,” Richard concluded. “It’s going to be exciting to be out on my own and make friends at UMass.”