Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- j.thomas@ttu.edu
Known as a tireless worker and as one of the top recruiters in college baseball, Thomas has proven his abilities early and often throughout his career at Tech. He was recognized as the ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017 and by Perfect Game in September 2015 as one of 10 coaches nationally “who are everywhere recruiting.”
Thomas has help recruit and sign 16 Freshman All-America selections and 15 total All-Americans. Throughout his time in Lubbock, the Red Raiders have had at least one player earn Freshman or regular All-American honors every season.
The Red Raiders posted 45-win seasons for four consecutive years from 2016-19, combining for 183 victories over that span which is the most for Tech since 1995-98. Due to the work of Thomas and the staff, Tech has enjoyed an incredible stretch of four College World Series appearances in the last eight contested seasons and three of the last six Big 12 Championships.
To date, Thomas has been responsible 13-straight Top 25 recruiting classes, including three of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in school history (2014, 2015, 2018). The 2018 class was the best in school history as he signed a group that ranked as high as No. 6 by Perfect Game.
Most recently, Thomas led the charge for Texas Tech to earn a No. 8 ranking by Perfect Game for its 2023 class. In addition to it being the eighth-best ranking in the nation, it was the No. 1 ranking among all Big 12 teams and No. 1 among all teams in the state of Texas.
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— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) November 10, 2022
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• No. 8 in the nation ??#WreckEm | https://t.co/HYnzvNaUkm pic.twitter.com/JRLCwxmwWF
The 2022 class earned a No. 9 ranking by Perfect Game, and a No. 15 recruiting ranking by Baseball America for the Class of 2022.
The Red Raiders first recruiting class under Tadlock with Thomas as recruiting coordinator received a top-25 ranking by Perfect Game (24th) and was tabbed 27th nationally by Collegiate Baseball. It marked the first time Tech had a nationally-ranked recruiting class by Collegiate Baseball since 2001.
Led by Thomas’ recruiting efforts, Tech received a 13th ranked 2014 recruiting class, giving the Red Raiders back-to-back nationally-ranked recruiting classes for the first time since 2000-01. The No. 13 national ranking was, at the time, tied for the highest in school history (2000). The 2014 class was also ranked 23rd by Baseball America, which marked the program’s first-ever ranking in BA’s recruiting class rankings.
Thomas established a new standard once again in 2015 as he signed a group that ranked as high as ninth by several publications. The class was highlighted by three players drafted among the top 50 picks of the MLB First-Year Player Draft – Josh Naylor (No. 12 overall), Trent Clark (No. 15 overall) and Tony Santillan (No. 49). It marked the first time in program history where Tech has had multiple signees selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.
The 2016 & 2017 signing classes were equally as strong, with both ranked in the top-25 by Perfect Game, earning a No. 23 spot in 2016 and No. 21 for the 2017 group. Dustin May (3rd round), Devin Smeltzer (5th round), Ulysses Cantu (6th round) and JD Murders (31st round) were all selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2016. The 2017 class includes the No. 1 LHP in the country in Trevor Rogers (New Mexico), and also includes the top players in Mississippi (Cordell Dunn), Illinois (KC Simonich) and Georgia (Gabe Holt), as well as a strong mix of eight of the top players from Texas.
Of those recruited and signed under Thomas as recruiting coordinator at Tech, 51 have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft, including 32 taken in the top-15 rounds.
TEXAS TECH (2013-2022 SEASONS)
Thomas’ efforts on the recruiting front have helped lead Tech to its first four College World Series appearances in school history. In 2014, the Red Raiders won the NCAA Coral Gables Regional and NCAA Lubbock Super Regional while advancing to the program’s first-ever College World Series in Omaha. It marked Tech’s first-ever NCAA Regional title and first appearance in school history at a Super Regional. Two years later, the Red Raiders did it again, earning the program’s first national seed, helping secure home-field advantage en route to its second trip to Omaha in three years, where the Red Raiders picked up their first win at the CWS after knocking off No. 1 Florida, 3-2. The Red Raiders replicated their 2016 run with a No. 9 national seed and its third CWS appearance in five years, where Tech won its opener against No. 1 Florida, 6-3. For the first time in program history, Tech made back-to-back trips in 2018 and 2019 as Tech finished among the last four teams remaining in 2019.
The 2022 Red Raiders continued what it had been doing every year since 2016, competing in the NCAA Tournament, but it was new territory as the previous five regionals were hosted in Lubbock and this edition sent Texas Tech on the road. The Red Raiders advanced to a Regional Final for the sixth-straight year, with its run ending there in 2022 to CWS participant Notre Dame. Once the season came to a close, Texas Tech finished inside the Top 25 of all six national polls in the end-of-season rankings, extending a steak that also started in 2016. Postseason honors that rolled in for Thomas' recruits included Jace Jung and Brandon Birdsell being named All-Americans and on the conference level Birdsell was named the pitcher of the year while Hudson White was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Birdsell's Big 12 honor marked the second pitcher of the year since 2017 while White was the third freshman of the year since 2017.
Tech’s 2021 season was one that saw a squad rally together and fight through a slow start and a season that plagued them with injuries. The Red Raiders won 14 in a row after its opening series. Tech finished 39-17, including 27 wins in the friendly confines of Rip Griffin Park. Texas Tech was rewarded with a No. 8 national seed in the NCAA tournament and hosted a regional for the fifth-straight year and qualified to host a Super Regional for the third time in the last five completed seasons. Tech’s loss to Stanford marked the first time the Red Raiders did not advance out of the Super Regional, having been 4-0 in such series previously.
The Red Raiders were poised for yet another run to Omaha in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short in the middle of March. Tech started strong out of the gates and earned the program’s first No. 1 ranking since 1997 before finishing with a 16-3 record. Despite the abbreviated season, Thomas helped several Red Raiders earn national recognition as Brian Klein, Micah Dallas and Cal Conley were named All-Americans while Conley, Jace Jung and Nate Rombach were chosen as Freshman All-Americans. Tech had two players go on to get drafted in the five-round 2020 MLB Draft with right-handers Clayton Beeter and Bryce Bonnin both chosen in the top three rounds.
Tech matched its highest final ranking in 2019 as it was slotted at No. 4 in several polls to close out the year after posting a 46-20 overall record. The Red Raiders won two games at the CWS for the first time ever after earning a No. 8 National Seed, sweeping the NCAA Lubbock Regional and defeating Big 12 rival Oklahoma State in the Lubbock Super Regional. Tech went 16-8 in Big 12 play to capture its third Big 12 title in four years. Junior Josh Jung was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American before becoming Tech’s second first-round pick in the MLB Draft at No. 8 overall. Senior Cameron Warren also received All-America nods while Clayton Beeter and Micah Dallas earned Freshman All-America accolades.
Tech closed 2018 ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation in several polls after finishing 45-20 overall and 15-9 in the Big 12. It was the third-consecutive 45-win season for Tech, marking the second time the program has hit the benchmark three straight seasons. Tech earned its third straight NCAA National Seed ranking at No. 9, while garnering seven Big 12 honors, including Freshman of the Year for Gabe Holt, and five All-American accolades (Josh Jung, Gabe Holt, Grant Little, Zach Rheams).
In 2017, the Red Raiders captured their second-straight Big 12 championship after a 45-17 overall record and 16-8 clip in Big 12 play. Tech also earned its second consecutive No. 5 NCAA National Seed rankings, while earning three Big 12 Player of the Year honors (Steven Gingery, Hunter Hargrove & Josh Jung), as well as seven All-America honors and six freshman All-American awards.
Tech finished 2016 with a No. 4 overall ranking after posting a 47-20 overall record, including a 19-5 conference mark to claim the program’s fifth conference title and first with Thomas. In 2014, the Red racked up 45 wins – fourth most in school history. Tech posted the biggest turnaround in school history going from 26 wins in 2013 to 45 wins the following season (+19 wins). It is the second biggest turnaround in Big 12 history.
The Red Raiders carried that momentum into a 31-24 finish in 2015, Thomas’ third season, marking the first time since 2005-06 that Tech had posted consecutive 30-win seasons. The Red Raiders completed Big 12 play at 13-11 overall, securing a tie for third place in the conference standings, Tech’s highest finish since the 2004 season. It was also the second-straight season where Tech had finished among the top four in the Big 12 standings, a first for the Red Raiders since the 2001 and 2002 campaigns.
PRIOR TO TECH
Thomas came to Texas Tech after spending seven seasons as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Howard College. During his time at Howard he helped turn the Hawks into the winningest Division I junior college program in the nation during his last five seasons (247 wins - average of 49 wins per season) while winning the NJCAA D-I World Series in 2009 with an astonishing 63-1 overall record, which included a college baseball record 57-game win streak. The overwhelming success during Thomas' tenure in Big Spring, Texas, made him one of the nation's top assistant coaches along with being regarded as one of the elite college baseball recruiters in the country. Thomas served as Howard's hitting and catching coach while also working with the team's base runners. Thomas was instrumental in the Hawks leading the nation in hitting three times (2008 - .430... 2009 - .421... 2011 - .394) while finishing in the top five in the country in hitting during each of his seven seasons. Three of Thomas' hitters led the nation in hitting while he mentored a total of seven hitters that finished in the top 10 in the country in batting.
In 2009 the Hawks won the national title and broke the all-time record for consecutive victories (previous record was 55 consecutive wins by Seminole State in 1987) on their way to a perfect regular season and to 57 straight wins. Following its only loss of the season, Howard won six straight games, including every game at the JUCO World Series while capturing the national championship. Thomas helped guide Howard to a school-record four straight conference championships, with title runs in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Overall, Howard went 321-88 during Thomas' seven seasons. He coached 14 NJCAA All-Americans at Howard, including seven first team selections (2008-2012) - which led the nation during that time frame. In seven seasons at Howard, Thomas coached 52 Western Junior College Athletic Conference All-Conference selections, 23 NJCAA All-Region V picks, six WJCAC Player of the Year selections, five NJCAA Rawlings Big Stick Award winners, four WJCAC Pitcher of the Year selections, three NJCAA batting champions, two NJCAA Players of the Year and one Easton National Defensive Player of the Year. The Hawks produced several of the top defensive players in the country under Thomas' tutelage as five players were awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove Award during a four-year span (2009-2012) as players selected as having the best defensive seasons in the country at their respective positions.
Thomas consistently had one of the top catchers in the Region V, which was evident following five of his seven catchers signing with Big 12 or SEC programs. He mentored 71 players at Howard that signed at NCAA Division I programs, an average of seven players a year. In 2009, Thomas helped send 19 players to the D-I level and he coached 17 players in 2012 that signed letters of intent with D-I programs. In addition, 15-of-17 signees in 2012 went to Big 12, SEC or Pac-12 programs. Thomas coached 29 players at Howard that were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft, including three top-10 selections.
Thomas' student-athletes at Howard were also successful in the classroom as 71 of his players graduated from 2008-2012. Thomas, along with academic advisor Linda Conway, initiated Howard's academic advising program in the fall of 2007. Howard finished third in the nation in 2007 with a 3.32 team grade-point average.
Prior to beginning his collegiate coaching career at Howard, Thomas spent a summer coaching in the Texas Collegiate League with the Coppell Copperheads. Thomas helped lead the Copperheads to a championship season with a 31-17 record and a Tris Speaker division title. He spent the 2004 summer as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mustangs - a perennial high school summer baseball powerhouse - under the direction of Sam Carpenter, who is one of the most prominent select baseball coaches in the country.
A graduate of Abilene Christian University in 2005 with a degree in mass communications, Thomas was a four-year all-conference catcher while beginning his career at Howard College before transferring to ACU and finishing his degree in four years. Thomas' collegiate playing career included throwing out 30 percent of would-be base stealers and tallying a .320 career batting average. He completed his college career being named to the All-Tournament team at the 2004 Lone Star tournament where ACU finished in the top-10 in the country with a 42-17 overall record while claiming its second consecutive league championship.
A native of Duncanville, Texas, Thomas played for legendary coach Bob Rombach at Duncanville High School where he led his team to three straight Texas High School state playoff appearances (1998-2000). Thomas was born in Duncanville, Texas, in 1982. Thomas and his wife, the former Victoria Landry of Houston, Texas, have one son: Park Landry Thomas (2).
HOWARD COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS (2006-2012):
- Helped lead team to a 321-88 overall record in seven seasons.
- Won 2009 NJCAA World Series championship with a 63-1 overall record.
- Averaged 49 wins/season during his final five seasons (2008-2012).
- College baseball record 57-game win streak (2009).
- Won a school-record 53 consecutive conference games (2008-2010).
- Led the country in batting three times (2008, 2009, 2011).
- Ranked in the top five in the nation in hitting during all seven seasons.
- Coached 14 NJCAA All-Americans, including two NJCAA Players of the Year.
- Coached three individual NJCAA batting champions.
- Coached five Rawlings NJCAA Gold Glove Award winners.
- Coached back-to-back NJCAA batting champions (2008 - Tyler Ladendorf, .542... 2009 - Will Calhoun, .497).
- Team received a national-ranking during 42 consecutive weeks (2008-2012).
- Hawks were ranked in the top-10 in the country during 22 straight weeks (2008-2010).
- Howard received a top-five national ranking in 19 consecutive regular season polls (2008-2010).
- Coached 15 players that led the NJCAA in a major offensive statistical category.
- In seven seasons, offensive players ranked in 101 national top-25 statistical categories.
- Coached the NJCAA stolen base leader in three consecutive years (2007-09).
- Coached seven hitters that ranked in the top 10 in the nation in batting.
- Coached four hitters in 2008 that ranked in the top 25 in batting.
THE THOMAS FILE:
2013-Present - Texas Tech (Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator)
2006-2012 - Howard College (Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator)
