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.