Pitcher finds form at Dixie College

A year ago, Brad Thompson had closed out his high school pitching career, graduated from Cimarron-Memorial and was unsure of his future in baseball.

But today the future looks bright for Thompson, as he has become a hot commodity in the junior college pitching ranks. In his first year at Dixie College in St. George, Utah, Thompson played a key role in leading the Rebels to the Division 1 Junior College World Series.

Used during the season as a reliever, Thompson was called on to start the first game and picked up two wins in the championship series, making a statement even thought Dixie fell to North Central Texas.

"He really exceeded all our expectations," said Dixie coach Mike Littlewood. "In the World Series, he basically won the first game for us by shutting down a really good team. He was one of the main reasons we ended up finishing second in the country."

For Thompson, the chance to start in such a crucial game came as a surprise. But it was a challenge he was prepared for.

"I found out that morning I was going to start, and it was my mom's birthday so I called her and told her I was going to win it for her," he said. "I ended up throwing a shutout for six innings."

Thompson's success as a freshman is somewhat surprising considering his late start. After a decent senior season at Cimarron-Memorial, the right-handed hurler was undecided about where to attend college.

But he pitched the Spartans American Legion team to a city championship, getting extra attention for a stifling performance in the championship game, and Dixie offered him a scholarship just weeks before classes were to start.

"We were lucky to get him so late," Littlewood said. "We knew he would be good, but he turned out to be our strongest pick up all year."

Thompson took a relief spot on the pitching staff but got almost as many innings as the team's starting pitchers. He finished with a 4-0 record, including the two World Series wins, and recorded three saves with a 2.30 ERA. At one point in the season he threw 11 consecutive scoreless innings.

"I wasn't surprised we got as far as we did because we had such a great team, but it was really exciting," Thompson said. "I'm definitely happy I ended up here and that I had the year that I did."

Littlewood said Thompson has already put himself in a great position for when his junior college career is over after next year.

"Brad's going to have a lot of choices," he said. "I think he'll pretty much have the pick of the litter of four year schools."