Former Oak Ridge star makes transition from Tiger to Cougar

~ SIUE's Thomas is pitching for his third school after starting his college career at Missouri

As the SIU Edwardsville baseball team traveled down I-55 to Cape Girardeau for a three-game series against Southeast Missouri State, junior pitcher and Oak Ridge graduate Brett Thomas couldn't help feeling that it was strange to be passing by the exit to his hometown.

Thomas, who was the Southeast Missourian Baseball Player of the Year as a junior and senior, didn't pinpoint any specific memories that being so close to home brought back but rather the general appreciation he had for where he came from.

"Oak Ridge was just amazing for me," Thomas said before Saturday's game at Capaha Field. "It opened up so many doors. You know, college has been a little bit of a roller coaster. I've had my ups and my downs. But Oak Ridge was always there for me and I'll probably end up coming back here someday. Driving past Oak Ridge, coming into Cape, coming here where I've played before, it's just enjoyable."

Thomas, who graduated from Oak Ridge in 2011, signed with the University of Missouri after his junior year of high school.

Things didn't go quite as Thomas expected at Missouri.

He pitched just one inning his freshman year -- in a game against Central Arkansas on March 28, 2012, and ultimately ended up transferring to Jefferson College, a junior college in Hillsboro, Mo., for his sophomore season.

"It just wasn't as it was advertised," Thomas said about Missouri. "I was 17, 18 [years old] when I made that decision and probably a little bit too young, too hasty and I should've weighed my options. It just didn't work out; it wasn't a good fit. But that's all right. I had a great year last year, with a great team this year. It's been good. I don't regret anything."

Thomas made 13 appearances on the mound, including two starts, for the Vikings last year as a sophomore and compiled a 4-1 record with two saves. He had a 2.62 ERA, 24 strikeouts and only four walks.

He said that his freshman season at Missouri was "just a bad year," and he really started to realize what it takes to be a successful college baseball player last year while playing at Jefferson College.

"I had a couple rough outings, but then I started pitching well and had a really good experience there and you just realize every day -- in and out -- you have to be in the top of your game," Thomas said. "You really do. You've got to be focused, locked in every single day to have a good season.

"That's what we've done so far as a team here, and I like it. We've stayed locked in against good teams and we've played them well."

Thomas is part of an SIUE team that is tied for third place in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Cougars are 10-19 overall and 8-7 in the OVC.

He's 2-2 this season with an 11.02 ERA. He has eight strikeouts and walked eight batters in 16 1/3 innings. He is second on the team with 12 appearances in relief.

He's got a 4.15 ERA against OVC opponents over 8 2/3 innings. He's 1-1 in five appearances with three strikeouts, three walks and nine hits allowed.

The Cougars only have been part of the OVC since July 2008 and were not fully certified at the Division I level until August 2012.

They weren't eligible to play in the postseason until last year and their 10-20 conference record didn't make the cut. In the preseason conference poll this year, SIUE was picked to finish eighth out of the 11 teams.

SIUE has hit a rough patch, including six losses in a row after the three-game sweep by Southeast over the weekend.

"It's a rebuilding program, but it's also a winning program," Thomas said. "When I got recruited there and I went on my visit, they wanted me to come in, make an impact with a team that's going in the right direction -- and we are. ... I like being a part of something like that. You know, I kind of did that with Oak Ridge a little bit. A little bit of a losing tradition, you go in there, kind of change things up a little bit and then do well. It's kind of nice doing the same thing here, and it's a fun team to be a part of."

Thomas was hopeful before Saturday's game that he'd pitch well in front of his family and friends at the ballpark he'd played at during his high school career.

He pitched 1 1/3 innings Saturday, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning and pitching a scoreless eighth.

He exited the game after allowing a lead-off walk in the ninth and took the loss in the Cougars' 8-7 walk-off defeat.

"I've definitely changed as a person and player in college as far as you have to get down and do the dirty work and grind it out all year long, and that's something I didn't have to do in high school as much. But you get to college, get with people just as good -- better than you -- and it's just been a learning experience for sure, but like I said, I don't regret anything. I've had a good college career, and hopefully it continues this season onto the next."