Jackson McKenzie has shown up at Dick Howser Stadium on certain days this fall and been a pitcher. On others he’s been a hitter. Last weekend, McKenzie showed that he could juggle both for Florida State.

McKenzie had a no-doubt solo home run over the screen in right-center field against Jacksonville and later in the night pitched in the sixth inning, allowing just one inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly while otherwise working out of trouble.

“It was definitely a mental battle doing both throughout the day. You’ve got to stay locked in,” McKenzie said. “Just being your own cheerleader is the best way to put it. Saying you got this. I found out I’m more mentally drained than physically whenever I have to do both. If you tell yourself that you can do it and push through then you’re capable of doing it.”

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound McKenzie could be FSU’s first baseman or designated hitter, perhaps splitting those roles with Northwestern transfer Nick Barron. Baseball fans in Clearwater could get a look at McKenzie on Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Seminoles play an exhibition against South Florida at the Threshers’ minor-league stadium. The Clearwater Threshers are the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

McKenzie hits lefty and pitches left-handed, which brings twice the value to Florida State baseball. The Seminoles were lacking left-handed bats last fall, especially one with power after Myles Bailey’s injury. And there’s always a need for a left-handed reliever, a role McKenzie has shown he can also fill.

Throwing strikes and delivering a quick inning of relief was encouraging for McKenzie.

“It wasn’t my best velo that I’ve thrown but all of the pitches were strikes so at the end of the day that’s pitchability,” McKenzie said. “That’s what I was playing in to. I was very happy with my outing.”

This spring, McKenzie led Florida A&M with a .397 batting average and the SWAC first-team selection also led the Rattlers in home runs (12), RBI (52), doubles (13) and had a .516 on-base percentage. McKenzie often was a designated hitter and reliever, recording three saves in 14 outings.

His ERA was high at 7.55 but McKenzie showed good control with 27 strikeouts and 17 walks in 31 innings. McKenzie threw a fastball, curveball and change-up in the spring and is developing a slider with FSU pitching coach Micah Posey.

“He’s got the big curveball,” Posey said. “It reminds me of (former FSU left-hander Joey) Volini. We’ve talked about it a ton. It’s got some Volini characteristics to the curveball. We know how that played out here. We’re excited about him. He’s thrown a lot of strikes. He’s worked extremely hard on his pitching this summer. The change-up has been really good. It will be pretty interesting to see how we use that skill set moving forward.”

While juggling his dual roles, McKenzie’s day job will be hitting. The short fence in right field is appealing, although McKenzie is cognizant of not being a straight-pull hitter, too.

“It’s a reverse Green Monster,” McKenzie said. “A thing to think about is playing pepper off the fence. You know if you get it up in the air in right field you got a chance to get it out. But also you have to get out of the box and turn it into a double or a triple. You don’t want to be stuck at first base.”

McKenzie’s sister, Shelby, plays on the FSU softball team. They are thought to be the first concurrent baseball-softball siblings in the programs’ history.

Thanks for reading the Osceola. Subscribe now for 40 percent off to enjoy a full year of coverage of FSU athletics. You’ll also earn a gift card at Alumni Hall.