THE FRONT ROW WITH BRUCE BOURQUIN: June 6, 2014

Every Tuesday while roaming the hallways at Lakeland High, senior pitcher/shortstop Kris Jackson goes all out with dressing in a little more than your average shirt and blue jeans.

Jackson and his baseball teammates, Blake Wrotenbery and Logan Bruner, dress in suits and ties, dress shirts, slacks and dress suits.

Those of you who have listened to hit songs like ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man", Justin Timberlake's "Suit and Tie" and other related songs may be able to visualize what the Hawks look like.

"His buddies and he dress to the nines," Lakeland coach Jason Bradbury said. "They came up with that a couple of years ago. They have been known on occasion to throw some twists in with this attire, and they usually (involve) very bright colored type of accessories. You'll see hot pink and purple suspenders, orange, red and polkadot bowties, basically any color of the rainbow, and the loudest looking sneakers that most people wouldn't be caught dead in. His buddies and he look very businesslike and take pride in everything they do. It's been fun to watch and I look forward to every Tuesday, just to see what they'll be wearing."

On the mound or playing short, even this summer while playing for the Prairie Cardinals in American Legion ball, Jackson will wear bright yellow baseball cleats with red shoelaces.

Jackson and his buds came up with the idea in part because they simply like to dress up.

"We really like dressing up," Jackson said. "So we did it for three years and now we have suits and lots of formal wear."

Jackson is all business, both while dressing a bit snazzy and while pitching for each of the past three seasons for Lakeland, with the past season helping the Hawks to a runner-up finish in the state 4A baseball tournament.

THE MAIN motivation for Jackson for this past season's run to a 14-7 record and 4A Region 1 championship came last season, after the No. 1 seed Hawks were upended in the regional championship by Moscow.

"I was the pitcher," Jackson said of his relief appearance. "I strived to get better, worked harder as hard as I could. I got stronger."

Bradbury said that game ended in heartbreaking fashion.

"Losing to Moscow was very hard on him last year," Bradbury said. "Kris was shutting down Moscow and had a great command of his pitches. The winning run for Moscow was on third base with two outs. Kris got up 0 and 2 on the batter and made him look silly with two great fastballs. We ended up callling for a curve ball to try to get the batter's knees to buckle, a mistake on our part. Kris threw the curve, but it broke way too early. The ball hit the front of home plate and bounced completely sideways and away from my catcher. We had no chance. The runner on third trotted home for the win ... I think it was a great learning process for all of us and something that we didn't take lightly."

Last month in the state 4A championship game, a 4-1 loss to Twin Falls, Jackson allowed three earned runs and seven hits over six innings. Unfortunately for Lakeland, the Hawks were held to two hits, including one double by Jackson.

"It was upsetting because we didn't hit as well," Jackson said. "I trained all year for that, just to be in that moment, I told the coaches I'll give it my all."

Jackson's father Rick Jackson, watched him during the tournament.

"Put it this way, I lost my voice," said Rick Jackson, a plumber. "It was an awesome game. We have coaches that did a great job and Kris really fed off of that. He's always been a leader, but this year he's been more vocal, he's been more encouraging. These kids have always looked up to him."

Kris has an older brother in Nick Jackson, a 2010 Lakeland graduate who played football and was in track and field. Their mother, Boni Jackson, works as an office manager in Spokane.

"They both have a big heart," Boni Jackson said of her sons. "Kris is more outgoing, more revolved around sports. Nick likes the outdoors, he'll go hunting and fishing."

Kris Jackson grew from his 5-foot-10, 145-pound frame as a junior to a 6-foot, 160-pound senior. His fastball has been clocked in the low 80 mph range, his curve in the 60s and his changeup in the mid-70s.

Jackson used that physical growth to put together a solid season this year, garnering an all-4A Inland Empire League selection. He went 2-1 with a 2.08 earned-run average, striking out 35 and walking 17 over 41 2/3 innings.

Jackson hit a cool .400 with a team-high three home runs and eight doubles, and he was second with 25 runs batted in. As a junior, he went 2-2 on the mound and hit .333.

THIS PAST season helped Jackson earn a partial scholarship to play for Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore.

Jackson said he wants to study to become an athletic trainer.

"I chose to play there because when I visited Chemeketa, it was like a second home," Jackson said. "It felt nice to be there. They want me to pitch, but I want to try to play a position."

That decision will be up to Chemeketa's coaching staff, but Bradbury said Jackson might fit best in the outfield in college.

"He can play anywhere on the field," Bradbury said. "I've been telling him that I think he could be a great center fielder at the next level. He gets great reads off the bat, is very quick, and has a tremendous arm. Offensively, he hits well to all fields and with power. He doesn't strike out very much at all. He can hit anywhere in the lineup ... the coaches will love him."

Perhaps Jackson can take his many talents on the baseball field - along with his suit and tie - with him to Oregon.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, or via email at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @bourq25