Baseball | 5/22/2020 11:32:00 AM

Jenkins Climbing Home Run List with Alcorn Baseball Program

LORMAN, Miss. – A staple to the middle of lineup, senior Kyle Jenkins from the Alcorn State University baseball program ranks seventh all-time in school history in home runs, and announced he will return for one more year.
 
In just two and half seasons, Jenkins cranked 14 homers. Despite having the 2020 season cut short, he's chasing the school record of 27 homers held by Marcus Davis who finished his career in 2007.
 
Jenkins will have a second senior year in 2021 to try and move up the chart after the NCAA granted a year of relief for student-athletes competing in spring sports.
 
"The school's home run record was definitely on my mind at the beginning of the season. I was really looking forward to getting the chance to move up the record book, especially at a place like Alcorn that has had baseball for so long and has so much history. I wanted to prove myself and try to be one of the best in school history," Jenkins said.
 
Jenkins entered 2020 coming off a big junior year. He crushed nine homers, which ranked eighth in school history in single-season homers. He also recorded nine doubles and 37 RBIs. He started in 43 of 44 games.
 
This year, the Jacksonville, Florida native hit his first homer against Jackson State on March 1. He had an on-base streak of five games and started in 11 of 12 games behind the plate.
 
As a team, Jenkins and the Braves showed a lot of promise in 2020. They started it out by taking two of three at the Andre Dawson Tournament by defeating Prairie View A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They then gave No. 15 Ole Miss everything it could handle in a 9-8 defeat in 10 innings. The season concluded with a three-game sweep over Alabama A&M.
 
"It was definitely disappointing that we didn't get to play the season out. This was my third year here and I felt this was our best chance of winning the SWAC. We had a very good hitting team – we could hit with anyone in the country. We proved that against Ole Miss when we took them to extra innings, and it was a shame that we couldn't finish the season," Jenkins said.
 
The sweep over AAMU had Alcorn riding high on confidence. It was the first time the Braves swept the Bulldogs since 2012. Jenkins said he felt the team was playing its best ball of the season.
 
"At that point, we had really gotten our defense together and our pitching did amazing that weekend. We had shown a lot of improvement over the course of the 12 games," Jenkins said. "The Ole Miss game was the tipping point. It showed we could play with anyone in the country and it was a great experience for us."
 
Jenkins arrived at Alcorn in the fall of 2017 after spending a year at St. Johns River State College in Florida. He had never been to Mississippi before.
 
"One of the coaches at my previous school got me in contact with Alcorn. Coach [Bretton] Richardson saw some video of me and thought I was good enough to play here," Jenkins said. "Coming from Florida, I had never heard of Alcorn until then. I looked the school up and learned a lot about it. I am grateful that Alcorn gave me a chance."
 
In his first season as a Brave in 2018, Jenkins was given an opportunity to play right away. He entered the year as the backup catcher, but after the starter got injured in the first weekend of the season, he stepped in and made an immediate impact.
 
Jenkins started in 49 games that season. He led the team in slugging (.411), doubles (13) and home runs (4). He registered 42 hits, drew 33 walks and scored 29 runs. Jenkins tallied 10 multi-hit outings.
 
"One of the things I've always liked about playing baseball here is the teams that we go up against. Before I even arrived, I looked at the schedule and saw teams like Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama and other big schools on there. Coming from a JUCO, I thought that would be great exposure for me and chance to prove myself against the top teams in the country," Jenkins said.
 
In his career, he's played in 104 games, knocked 87 hits and a .431 slugging percentage.
 
"Kyle has been a leader on and off the field from the moment he stepped on campus. It's definitely been a pleasure having him be a part of the Alcorn baseball program. There's no doubt that he will do great things in the future," said Alcorn head coach Bretton Richardson.
 
Jenkins graduated this spring with a bachelor's degree in computer science. He was the first in his family to attain a four-year degree.
 
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