By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

Eric Thomas is a hard worker and his hard work has paid off.

Thomas, a 1998 graduate of Sandy Creek High School, was recently named the Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Thomas, 6'3”, 200 lbs, started his collegiate career at Florida A&M University but transferred as a sophomore to Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. At Southern, Thomas worked his way up from a relief pitcher to a starter and compiled a 6-0 record with three saves.

Because of his dominating performance, his coaches at Southern named him the team's Most Outstanding Pitcher. During the past baseball season, Thomas was named the Pitcher of the Year in the Western Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and First Team Most Outstanding Pitcher for the All Southwestern Athletic Conference team, as well as Most Oustanding Pitcher in the conference.

The accolades mean a lot to Thomas, because the votes come from coaches and sports information directors from all over the conference. It shows they have a lot of respect for his talents.

“He's a hard worker and he wants to be successful,” said Coach Roger Cador. “He's not afraid of failure or a challenge. Along with his abilities, that spirit is his strongest asset.”

Thomas also is impressive because he stays humble. “Hard work and team support got me the wins,” explains Thomas. “It was the team that was behind me.” Thomas also gives special thanks to three coaches in Fayette County who have helped get him to where he is today: Tom Deighton, Larry Thomas and Bernard Patillo.

Southern looks to have another strong season next year with Thomas on the mound. The team shows a great deal of confidence and has talent at every position.

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