Jason spent his first few years in Waterloo, NE and then spending a short stint in Millard, he then stayed in Elkhorn from the middle of 3rd grade on. Growing up in Nebraska in the late 70’s and early 80’s there was always sports going on. We would spend our summers out at the lakes water skiing and swimming. He would always be outside and you would often see him and his cousin Mike McClaughry(deceased) playing catch for hours. Having a very athletic parents Sam and Sharon, Jason learned early on how to compete and work hard. His father Sam, coached him in baseball through part of his little leagues. He was not a stand out on the team by any means but was taught that hard work and persistence can help you reach your goals. His father has had a large impact on his life and work ethic. He also played soccer, which his team, was very good and this gave him his first taste of winning on a regular basis. Basketball at a young age was not something he excelled at but that will come later in his high school days.
Jason Christiansen Baseball Biography
Jason Christiansen
Once high school came along Jason was coming into his own as an all-around athlete. His sports in High School were basketball and track. Elkhorn did not have High School baseball at the time so he played American Legion baseball. He was a 2-year starter on the varsity basketball team with head coach Vic Porter(deceased). Coach Porter was a very strict coach that taught him discipline and patience. He had a very strong influence on his life. His senior year the team was ranked in the top 5 in Class B the entire season. Basketball was Jason’s favorite sport in high school, success on the court and having so many people in the stands to watch became something that was a driving force in him wanting to go as far as possible in sports. Track was a sport that was not his favorite but it was a great way to compete and stay in shape for the upcoming baseball seasons. Coach May and Coach Brown were two of his main coaches. Jason would compete in the triple jump and in hurdles. By his own admission, he was average at best, but like mentioned prior it was a great way to be in shape for baseball season.
Baseball seemed to be the sport though for Jason. After his sophomore year of high school, he started in the Midget division for the American Legion baseball program. Halfway through that season he was told he was going to pitch for the Juniors team. Although nervous to be playing with the older boys he thought he was ready. He pitched a gem against a very good Grand Island team. To this day he can remember their 3 and 4 hitters using hay bailing gloves for batting gloves. From this point forward he would stay on the Juniors team and was coached by Jerry Frerichs. This is where things really started to change for Jason. Learning from the older guys was very helpful in him growing as a pitcher. Not a power pitcher in his Legion days, Jason survived on being able to throw 3 pitches for strikes at any time. His senior year he pitched the state final game against their rival Blair in which they lost 3-1. This was a very tough loss and honestly thought it was the end of his baseball career. But later that summer he found out he was able to come back because of his young age to pitch one more season. This year there was no stopping this team. They won the 1988 State Championship and Jason threw a complete game 1 hitter against West Point. On the season that year he had an ERA of .97.
Before that Championship season Jason headed over to Iowa Western Community College where he played one year of basketball and 2 years of baseball. He also received his Associates Degree in Business. Still very raw and young he spent most of his freshman season on the bench. This is where his coach, Bob Nowaczyk, helped teach him patience and how to be a team player. His sophomore year they went to the JUCO World Series where Jason was beat by a good Cochise team. He finished this season with a 5-1 record. Next it was off to Cameron University in Lawton, OK. He spent 2 years here playing baseball and studying accounting. His junior year at Lawton was a time for learning and growing. It was the first time he had been so far from home and away from a support system. His senior year Jason had an impressive season. He finished with a 10-1 record and being awarded 2nd team all American Div 2.
In the summers away from school he would mow lawns as a job and play for summer league teams in the evenings. His 2 summers away from Cameron he would play for the Omaha Merchants. He got a chance to pitch on a regular basis against some very good talent. The Merchants made a run in the state playoffs as well with Jason being one of their go to pitchers. During this time is when his velocity started to increase as well as his size. Graduating high school at 6’3 and 180 pounds to ending his senior season at Cameron at 6’5 225 pounds. Thinking there was an outside shot of getting drafted he was careful to not get injured. When the draft came and went and his name was not called he felt this may be the end. He tried to go the route of tryout camps that were being held around the Midwest for guys that may have fallen through the cracks.
The third tryout camp was at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. It had scouts from the Braves, Pirates and Orioles there. This was the 3rd camp Jason had attended and this was it for him. It just so happened that he threw his best that day and was told by the Braves that he would be headed to the Ontario Senior league for the rest of the summer. Although that sounded great and a dream, he was also speaking with the Pittsburgh Pirates who stepped up and signed Jason to a minor league contract. He was immediately flown down to Bradenton Florida. It was his first time on an airplane, which was a very nervous time for him. He was shipped out July of 1991.
The minor leagues were something he had never experienced. The guys he was playing with and against were from all over the world. They were the best of the best from colleges from all over. Starting in Bradenton Florida in the extended spring training was a quick stop. Only spending 3 weeks and getting 6 appearances without allowing an run and only allowed 4 hits while striking out 8.. He was then sent up to Welland Ontario, Canada, where he finished out the end of the 1991 season. 1992, 1993 and 1994 were seasons spent between Augusta GA., Salem, VA., Carolina, North Carolina, and Buffalo NY. Pitching in over 170 games in those 3 years. Making the all-star team in 1993. After the 1994 season he was sent to the Arizona fall league as a prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the time it was tough due to the players strike going on and being on the 40 man roster made him on strike as well. During this time, he worked many temp jobs and tried to stay in shape and be ready for spring training.
Spring Training finally came around and Jason had a very strong spring and made the MLB team leaving spring training. Knowing he would be used a lot he was ready for it and led the Pirates in appearances in 1995 with 63. 1996 was a different year, there is truth to the sophomore jinx is real. Only pitching in 33 games that year, he was sent down to triple A. This really made him work harder than ever after his surgery that had ended his 1996 season. Coming back half way thru the 1997 season he was very focused and wanting to make a statement. For the second half of 97’ and all of 1998 he had a 6-3 record pitching in over 100 innings and averaging 8.8 strike outs per 9 innings. Spending the next year and a half with the Pirates and at the trading deadline he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was almost like coming home to play. The Midwest is always home for him. He spent the second half of 2000 and first part of 2001 with the Cardinals. Getting his first taste of the playoffs in 2000 against the New York Mets. The trading deadline hit again and July 2001 he was traded to the San Francisco Giants. This was and still is the team he had the most connection with. Missing out on the 2002 season with elbow surgery and not being able to pitch in the World Series was a hard pill to swallow. But spending 2001 to 2005 with the Giants and making the playoffs 3 of the 5 seasons was an unbelievable experience. During these years he pitched in 187 games. Toward the end of the 2005 season he say the end coming and so did the Giants. Jason was then let go and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim picked him up to finish the 2005 season. It was just a month long where he pitched in 12 games with the Angels. Throughout his career Jason had pitched in 509 games with a record of 27-26 with 16 saves. He also pitched in 4 postseason games as well.
The end of his long 11 year big league career came to an end but he was still full of drive and immediately started a company called Rigid Industries. Rigid is a manufacturer of LED forward projecting lighting products. He was introduced to this unique technology and saw an immediate space for it in a few different markets. Rigid became official in 2007 and Jason was the President and CEO. This position was a perfect fit for Jason. He was used to relying on others to help get a common goal achieved. Rigid was ranked one of fasted growing privately held companies in 2013 and 2014. In 2013 they had growth of over 2,500% and ranked #150 of the 500 fastest growers. The company continued to grow year over year and he and his partners decided to sell in 2015.
This is when Jason decided to take some time off and focus on his kids and making time for them. He took to coaching his daughter’s volleyball throughout the years along with coaching his son’s teams up to high school. He always would remember the advice and positive influence his coaches made on him and he was able to share that with all of these young boys and girls. Having so much experience with baseball it was obvious that he would be coaching on some level. The one thing that had him pull away from coaching in 2020, was it was his twins senior season and he wanted to just relax and watch his kids play.
Jason has 3 children ages 18, 18 and 22. Makena was his first born, January 25th 2000. This was the moment Jason’s life changed forever. Although baseball was his passion, his daughter became his everything after she was born. She was the first grandchild for his family and she got a lot of attention. Makena played volleyball through high school and had to stop due to injuries. She lives in Gilbert, AZ and works for a car dealership. In 2004, he was blessed with boy and girl twins. They are very athletic kids and have always played sports. He has tried to attend or coach as many of their games as possible. Kennedy, his daughter, played volleyball in high school and has gone on to play at Edmonds College in Lynnwood WA. She plans to transfer next year to Boise State. Sam, his son, played baseball his entire life and is now in college getting ready for his first season. He is playing at South Mountain Community College and is living in Phoenix. Jason still tries to get out to as many games as possible for support.
Currently he has an investment company that he is a partner in and plans to continue with this company for years to come. He also has gotten engaged to his girlfriend Laken Hamper who he has been dating for over 4 years.