Ashland resident continues to break records, win awards with his college baseball team

Even though he graduated four years ago, Jackson Hornung’s name is still being tossed around the halls at Ashland High School this spring.

After breaking many athletic records during his time as a Clocker, Hornung, now a senior baseball player at Skidmore College in Upstate New York, hit his 10th home run of the year on April 26 to set a new program high for homers in a season. Less than a week later, Hornung was honored as the Skidmore College Senior Male Athlete of the Year.

Wherever Hornung finds himself, the Ashland resident continues to be the talk of the town — all while finding new records to break.

“Jackson’s name comes up daily in everyday life here in Ashland,” Ashland High baseball coach Matt Messer said. “It is awesome to see him tearing it up at Skidmore. We always knew he was special; we could never imagine the impact he (would leave) on Ashland and Skidmore.

“It seems like every day he is breaking another record.”

Jackson Hornung sets single-season record for homers with Skidmore College baseball

Just last week, the current crop of Clockers asked their baseball coach who holds the highest batting average for a season in team history.

The answer: Jackson Hornung.

After batting .450 and collecting 31 hits (both program records) as a junior in 2018, Hornung, who also starred as a football and ice hockey player at Ashland, wrapped up his high school career in grand fashion when he played in three separate sectional championships across three different sports as a senior.

“Jax as a player was the ultimate competitor,” said Messer, who also coached Hornung in football. “... He always loved the big stage, the big situation and that's how he is remembered daily.”

A three-time Tri-Valley League All-Star, two-time Team MVP and Daily News All-Star for baseball, Hornung couldn’t play as a freshman at Skidmore due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, he started all 15 games for the Thoroughbreds (during a shortened season), hitting .313 in 48 at-bats while throwing out three base stealers from his catcher position. A year later, Hornung completed the most successful individual season in Skidmore history by collecting 69 hits and a .460 batting average to go along with eight home runs, 51 runs and 13 stolen bases.

Hornung was named Liberty League Player of the Year and was selected to the ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team and D3Baseball All-America First Team.

See how: This high school baseball player is being labeled as one of the best hitters in the state

“He turned being a three-sport athlete in high school, that was really good at a lot of things, to being really great at one particular thing,” Skidmore assistant baseball coach Pat Geiger said. “It’s special. These are video game numbers.”

And Hornung continues to pile up the numbers this spring.

The 6-foot-2 senior — who sports a mustache that belongs in the 1980s — is currently hitting .419 with 12 home runs, 50 runs, 41 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. In a 15-11 win over Russell Sage late last month, Hornung set a single-season home run record with a three-run shot in the fifth inning. The homer broke a tie with Geiger, who hit nine as a player in the 2019 season.

Once Hornung made his way through a celebration line following the blast, Geiger was the final person to congratulate the new record-holder.

“I couldn’t wait to be the last one in the dugout there with that giant smile on my face and a big hug waiting for him because it was a really special moment for our program and for how much it means to both of us,” Geiger, 26, said. “It was a majestic home run, too. It was launched to left-center. It was a (heck) of a way to break a record and cement a legacy as part of a college baseball program.”

Ashland’s Hornung set to play in Cape Cod Baseball League, then Kansas State

On May 1, Hornung and his college classmates attended the 41st edition of Sports Recognition Night at Skidmore College.

At one point during the ceremony, Hornung was surprised to hear his name called over the microphone when he was announced as the Outstanding Senior Athlete, along with Emily Gilbert from the riding team.

The award provided a cherry on top of what’s been a great experience for Hornung in Saratoga Springs.

“I’m very thankful for everything that’s happened here and all my coaches and teammates helping me get to this point,” Hornung, 22, said. “We still have a lot left; we still have the playoffs this week and we’re looking for a Liberty Championship and that’s all that’s on our mind right now and all that stuff can stay in the background for another day.”

Vote: For the High School Baseball Player of the Week

On Thursday, Skidmore opened its Liberty League Tournament action with a game against RIT. The four-team, double-elimination tourney will conclude on Saturday, with the winner earning a spot in the Division III NCAA Regionals.

Once the Thoroughbreds wrap up their season and Hornung graduates from college later this month, Hornung will head back to Massachusetts to play more baseball this summer. He signed a temporary contract with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

“It’s kind of like a tryout, I guess, is the best way to explain it,” Hornung said. “I’m signed for the first two weeks and you could stay or you could not.”

From there Hornung will make the jump to Div. I baseball with Kansas State University, where he’ll finish his final year of college eligibility as a graduate transfer for the Wildcats.

Baseball has taken Jackson Hornung on quite the journey away from Ashland High the past few years. Still, his name continues to reverberate off the walls of 65 E Union St.

Almost like he never left.

“We're excited to hear what happens next,” Messer said. “Every day (it) seems like something new, and we are just so proud of him.”

Tommy Cassell is a senior multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tcassell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44. 

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Ashland's Jackson Hornung sets baseball records at Skidmore