Georgia's Justin Thomas Brings Elite Skill Set to the Baseball Diamond
In today’s age of parents hyper-focusing their kids on a single sport in hopes of giving them a competitive edge, it’s refreshing to see multi-sport athletes still thriving.
Herschel Walker starred in football and in track and field. Jake Fromm played quarterback at Houston County, but before that he led his Warner Robins baseball team to the Little League World Series.
Justin Thomas, a freshman out of Benedictine Military School in Savannah, is hoping his athletic prowess pays off on the baseball diamond for the Bulldogs. Georgia head baseball coach Scott Stricklin is certainly excited about the young outfielder.
“He’s got a lot of tools. The ball jumps off his bat. He’s a really hard worker, and just a really good baseball player.”
Thomas was a star for Benedictine in both football and baseball. He led the Cadets to the Georgia AAAA Football State Championship in 2021, and played for a couple of state titles in baseball. The catch below shows the natural athletic ability he possess:
Because of his early commitment to playing baseball at the collegiate level, Justin Thomas’ football recruitment never really took off, but it wasn’t because he wasn’t a D-1 talent. Check out his stat line from Benedictine’s run to the state title in 2021:
- 158 carries, 1,426 yards, 25 rushing touchdowns
- 47 receptions, 967 yards, 12 receiving touchdowns
- 47 tackles, 5 interceptions, 1 defensive touchdown
2,626 total yards and 29 total touchdowns against one of the biggest classifications in Georgia. That’s more than enough to draw the attention of big-time football programs.
“I was worried about the football thing, just because I got a chance to see him play North Oconee when [Benedictine] came [to Athens] to play, and when North Oconee went down to Savannah to play in consecutive falls, his junior and senior year. Just a really good football player and a really good athlete.” said Stricklin.
Thomas always had his eyes toward baseball, however. As a senior, he produced at an elite level: .517 avg, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 13 2B, 5 3B.
“But baseball, I think he made the right choice. It’s definitely a lot easier on the body.” laughed Stricklin.
Justin Thomas will have some time to grow, as Georgia is very deep in the outfield, but his ceiling is extremely high.
“Again, the ball really jumps off his bat, he covers a lot of ground in the outfield, but we’ve got a lot depth in that outfield, and he’s got a lot of really good guys to learn from and guys that have been around, but [he’s] such a good kid and a hard worker, and the sky's the limit for him. He’s got a chance to be a really good player for us.”
Georgia begins their season on February 17th at home against Jacksonville State.
Other Georgia News:
- Kirby Smart Gets Eyes on Several Top Targets in Latest Recruiting Rounds
- Ranking Every Team of the Kirby Smart Era
- WATCH: Georgia Releases Highlight Reel From 2022 Season
You can follow Christian Goeckel on Twitter for more Georgia Baseball News: @GoeckelSports
