Photo by: Mitch Robinson
D1 Baseball Names Thomas Among Top Freshman Hitters
3/17/2020 1:13:00 PM | Baseball
Thomas was one of three SoCon players on the list
MACON, Ga. – After four weeks of play, many players around the country were off to hot starts and D1 Baseball recognized the freshmen hitters who came out of the swinging a hot stick. Mercer freshman Colby Thomas was featured on the list, cracking the top 40 and coming in 32nd overall. Â
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"Colby is deserving of any accolades he receives this season," remarked head coach Craig Gibson. "Just in my experience, he is one of the top freshmen in the country. He is a very explosive and dynamic athlete. He has great bat speed and power. I am very happy for Colby, and this is just the beginning of his future and he will have a great summer in the Cape Cod League. We are excited to follow his progress."
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To determine this D1 Baseball has broken down hitting into three categories: plate discipline, hit ability and game power and combined them to calculate an analytics score. Plate discipline is a measure of how well a batter controls the strike zone. Hit Ability simply measures a batter's ability to flat-out hit and reach base while Game Power is straightforward: did the player produce extra base hits, getting to the power he may show in batting practice.
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Over the Bears first 16 games, Thomas hit .333 (23-for-69). He led the team in doubles (9), home runs (5) and RBI (18) on the season. He had an on-base percentage of .403 and a slugging percentage of .681.
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In his first game as a Bear, Thomas showed off his power by hitting his first career-home run over the left field fence. In the Bears' midweek matchup at Florida State, Thomas hit two home runs, for his first multi homerun game.
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Thomas' overall ranking was 83.6. He scored 72.3 in plate discipline, 77.2 in hit ability and 82.8 in game power. His overall score ranked him tied for 32nd. Thomas was the highest ranked of the three SoCon freshmen featured on the list. Ashton King (ETSU) was ranked No. 38 and Pres Cavenaugh (UNCG) was ranked No. 49.
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Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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"Colby is deserving of any accolades he receives this season," remarked head coach Craig Gibson. "Just in my experience, he is one of the top freshmen in the country. He is a very explosive and dynamic athlete. He has great bat speed and power. I am very happy for Colby, and this is just the beginning of his future and he will have a great summer in the Cape Cod League. We are excited to follow his progress."
Â
To determine this D1 Baseball has broken down hitting into three categories: plate discipline, hit ability and game power and combined them to calculate an analytics score. Plate discipline is a measure of how well a batter controls the strike zone. Hit Ability simply measures a batter's ability to flat-out hit and reach base while Game Power is straightforward: did the player produce extra base hits, getting to the power he may show in batting practice.
Â
Over the Bears first 16 games, Thomas hit .333 (23-for-69). He led the team in doubles (9), home runs (5) and RBI (18) on the season. He had an on-base percentage of .403 and a slugging percentage of .681.
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In his first game as a Bear, Thomas showed off his power by hitting his first career-home run over the left field fence. In the Bears' midweek matchup at Florida State, Thomas hit two home runs, for his first multi homerun game.
Â
Thomas' overall ranking was 83.6. He scored 72.3 in plate discipline, 77.2 in hit ability and 82.8 in game power. His overall score ranked him tied for 32nd. Thomas was the highest ranked of the three SoCon freshmen featured on the list. Ashton King (ETSU) was ranked No. 38 and Pres Cavenaugh (UNCG) was ranked No. 49.
Â
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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