Virginia fans, meet junior Jacob Thompson: the humble, 6-foot-6 hurler from Danville, Va?. Many of you may already know him as one of the aces on the Virginia pitching staff.
During his freshman year, pitching in arguably the best conference in college baseball -- the ACC -- he was named a first-team Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger and Baseball America. Last year as a sophomore, he sported an 11-0 record and was named a first-team All American by those same sources, as well as by rivals.com?.
This past summer, the junior also pitched for Team USA.
Few college athletes have amassed as many accolades in four years as Thompson has in two. Only a small number of pitchers can say they donned a Team USA jersey at the age of 20, and even fewer have looked as dominant against ACC foes as he has. Last year, for instance, Thompson went 7-0 including two complete game shutouts against conference opponents. All in all, he was undefeated with a 1.50 ERA, and 101 strikeouts in 114 innings, garnering numerous first-team All-American honors.
The process for picking the 2007 Team USA began in summer 2006 after Thompson's freshman season, when he went 10-4 with a 2.60 ERA. It seemed fitting, then, that Team USA would come calling after such a young and talented pitcher.
"Any time you have a freshman year like Jacob had, it draws attention nationally," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "Last fall, the USA team had contacted me about him, and their interest in him. As the spring [season] went on and he was off to a great start, they extended him an invitation to be on the team."
The opportunity to play over the summer is generally met with enthusiasm by players, but college coaches might be hesitant to see their star players under the direction of different, unfamiliar coaches. Fortunately for Thompson and Team USA, O'Connor saw the benefits that come from playing for the national team and was confident his pitcher would come back to Virginia healthy and ready to pitch again for the Cavaliers in the 2008 season.
"A lot of great players do [play over the summer], whether it's for Team USA or collegiate summer leagues," O'Connor said. "There are always great coaches that coach Team USA, and I knew they would look out after him, which they did. It was a great opportunity for Jacob, and something he couldn't pass up. I'm sure it's something he'll always remember, competing for his country."
Throwing against the Chinese Taipei June 30, Thompson tossed six scoreless innings of two-hit ball, with two strikeouts and two walks. Six days later against Japan, he went 7 1/3 innings, fanning five while allowing three hits and three walks. Again, he did not allow an earned run, though Japan did manage to score two unearned runs.
After pitching well against international opponents earlier in the summer, Thompson was chosen to be the starter for the U.S. National Team in the championship of the Pan American Games July 20 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Thompson accepted the challenge of taking on Cuba, which had won the past nine consecutive Pan-Am championships. Although he ended up with the silver medal, not the gold, Thompson still took a lot away from the experience of wearing the red, white and blue jersey.
"It was awesome," Thompson said. "I got chills, even with the conditions we were playing in -- eight o'clock in the morning, just muggy and rainy. But every time I put on that uniform, I got chills and it brought me back down to earth a little."
Thompson may have finished his summer pitching for Team USA with greater recognition under the national spotlight, but personal accolades weren't the most important parts of his experience.
"I met a lot of new friends on that team from all over the country," Thompson said. "And just going to Brazil, seeing the different culture down there and seeing how lucky I have it here in the U.S. I'd say those two would be my best [experiences]."
The Cavaliers and their fans will hope that having made friends on other college teams will not keep Thompson from striking them out come the 2008 baseball season. Chances are, however, that with international baseball experience under his belt, Virginia fans can expect another big season from Thompson.
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