GREAT INSTICTS

Cabot cleanup hitter lacks homers but not production

Cabot senior cleanup hitter Dillon Thomas didn’t hit a single home run during the Panthers’ state-championship season. But he wasn’t asked to do that. Thomas, who led the Panthers with a .433 batting average last year, is the 2018 Three Rivers Edition Baseball Player to Watch. “He might hit a few this year,” Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin said. “But what you look at is his doubles total. He had 15 doubles last year. And now you combine that with the fact you had guys like Denver Mullins, Blake McCutchen and Clayton Gray hitting in front of you, there was almost always traffic out there. So he had lots of opportunities to get RBIs. When you double, they don’t have to be in scoring position.” Thomas led the Panthers in hitting, runs batted in (34) and doubles. “In the state-championship game, he hit a ball to the left center field wall with a runner on first, and we score the first run of the game,” Goodwin said. “I always tell guys that doubles start and keep rallies going. Home runs sometimes are rally killers. I’m not saying that we won’t take them, but [Thomas] is a guy who knows how to use the whole field. He doesn’t try to do too much, which makes him a good hitter.” Thomas said he’s been playing baseball since he was 2 or 3 years old. “This is my only sport I’ve ever played,” Thomas said. “I just love it. I’ve always been pretty good at it. I just work hard every day and realized that I’ve got some talent, and I’m glad I could pursue it.” Thomas said he worked with his father on a daily basis. “I love it,” he said. “I love the excitement of when you score or make a defensive play. The crowd goes wild. Everybody is really into the game, even though it’s a slow game. It’s the excitement of it.” Goodwin said Thomas, who starts at third base, has great instincts as a baseball player. “This will be my sixth year as a high school coach,” Goodwin said. “He is probably the most instinctive high school player I have ever coached. And he has some tools. So, to have that presence back in the middle of the lineup is going to be huge for us. “[On defense], he ran our bunt defense last year. He didn’t have to look into the dugout for a sign. He’s also a pretty good defender at third base, too. He’s going to bring a lot to the table for us.” During the summer, while playing for the Arkansas Express, Thomas said he hit 7 home runs while playing close to 70 games. “I’m definitely an alley-to-alley hitter, hitting doubles and scoring runners,” he said. Goodwin said he expects Thomas to have another good campaign in 2018. “I expect Dillon to be Dillon,” Goodwin said. “It’s like I tell all these guys all the time. You can’t look at the statistics and always say this was a better year or worse year. He might hit more balls this year and have a lower batting average. He just might hit balls right at guys. “Is he capable of playing as well as he did last year? Absolutely. He’s capable of playing better. He’s a year older, a year more mature. There are some guys who can set the table for him this year like he has last year.” During the 2017 season, when the Panthers won the Class 7A state title, Thomas had 14 multihit games. He played in 30 games. He had three three-hit games. In the 2-1 state-championship-game victory over Springdale Har-Ber, Thomas was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI.

Defensively, Thomas had a .778 fielding percentage. Thomas said he’d love for the Panthers to win another state title this season. “I just hope all the younger kids get better, stay locked in,” he said. “They really have a chance the year after, too, to win.” Goodwin said Thomas is a leader for his ballclub. “On the field, absolutely, he’s a leader,” Goodwin said. “He manages our infield. He’s very aware of opposing players. He will help us shift infielders when we’re focusing on trying to move the outfielders and calling pitches.” Thomas said he is a leader as well. “More vocally and actions on the field,” he said. “I usually pump people up. Clayton Gray does the same thing. We just get everyone loud.” Thomas will continue his playing career at Mineral Area College, a two-year institution in Park Hills, Missouri. He signed with the Cardinals in January. “I think it’s a good opportunity,” Goodwin said. “He had some options. I think that is the one that fit him best. I think it’s a good place where he has a chance to go in and play right away, which is why most guys go to a junior college to begin with.” Goodwin said a college freshman can have issues sometimes playing with players who are 21, 22 or 23 years old. “For him to choose a junior college, I think the one he chose is going to allow him to play early, and it’s going to give his family a chance to see him play a lot.” Thomas is excited about going to Mineral Area. “They had everything I liked,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a good chance to play. They are teaching their hitters the right way to hit, and I just feel confident enough that I can play. “Hopefully, I can get to a D1 school.”