R.J. Thomas enters his 12
th season as Head Coach of the Hendrix Baseball Program, his 14
th overall on the staff and 17
th overall as a head coach.
FAST FACTS
- Years at Hendrix: 12th (2007-12; 2022-present)
- Overall Record: 309-359-1 (232-226-1 at Hendrix)
- Conference Record: 117-118 (SCAC: 60-82 | SAA: 57-26)
PROGRAM ACCOLADES UNDER THOMAS (HEAD COACH)
- 2009 SCAC Baseball Championship
- 2009 SCAC Coach of the Year
- 50 All-SCAC Selections (19 First)
- 30 All-SAA Selections (4 First)
- 9 SCAC All-Tournament Team Selections
- 3 SCAC Players of the Week
- 4 SAA Players of the Week
- 10 SAA Pitchers of the Week
- 1 D3 Baseball Player of the Week
- 1 D3 Baseball Team of the Week
- 3 ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team
- NCBWA Pitcher of the Week
- 3 Sigma Alpha Alpha Honors Selections
- 3 ABCA Team Excellence Awards
- 2 Natural State All-Arkansas Selections
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS (HENDRIX)
2026: In their first year back in the SCAC, the Warriors went 22-21 with a 16-14 mark in conference play. The Warriors had 10 All-SCAC selections highlighted by 2B Austin Rabago and P Braxton Waller, who led the NCAA in Saves with 11 (single-season program record).
2025: The Warriors went 19-23 in the regular season and 9-9 in SAA play. The Warriors won three games against RV/Ranked opponents, beating RV NYU, #9 ETBU and #18 Adrian College. The Warriors had 9 All-SAA selections. Dylan Kalmus had 63 strikeouts, which is 5
th in single-season history.
2024: Thomas’s squad went 27-19 with a 12-9 mark in SAA action and made it to the SAA Baseball Championship game. The Warriors would at one point when 13 consecutive games and set multiple program records. Hogan Ralston would set the program record with walks in a season with 47. Adam Bland was right behind him, finishing with 38. David Blackburn and Bryson Bales would set the program record for Most Starts in a season with 13. The Warriors would have 6 All-SAA selections and two ABCA All-Region selections.
2023: Hendrix would go 27-15 and 12-9 in conference play. The Warriors would sweep #2 BSC at home as well as winning 3 of the 4 games at the Blue Wahoo Challenge. Hendrix would have 7 All-SAA selections, 1 ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selection in Andrei Stoyanow and 2 Sigma Alpha Alpha Honor selections.
2022: In his first year back at the helm, Hendrix had one of their best regular seasons in program history, going 29-15, one win shy of tying the record set in 2019, with a 12-9 record in the SAA. The Warriors would start off 18-2, their best start in program history. Thomas’s squad would boast 8 All-SAA selections.
2012: The Warriors would go 22-20 with a 12-8 record in SCAC play. The Warriors would have 8 All-SCAC Selections, 1 D3Baseball Player of the Week, 2 D3Baseball All-Region Selections and 2 Natural State All-Arkansas selections.
2011: Hendrix would go 19-22 with a 10-10 record in conference. The Warriors would have 5 All-SCAC selections.
2010: Hendrix would go 18-18 and 7-13 in SCAC play. Thomas’s squad would boast 8 All-SCAC selections.
2009: The Warriors would go 22-23 and 10-10 in SCAC play. Hendrix would go on a run in the SCAC Baseball Championship, going undefeated to win the SCAC Baseball Championship. Thomas would be named SCAC Baseball Coach of the Year. The Warriors would have 6 named All-SCAC.
2008: The Warriors would go 14-26 and 3-13 in conference play. They would have two named All-SCAC First Team.
2007: In his first year as head coach, Thomas’s squad would go 13-24-1 with a 2-14 mark in conference. The Warriors would land 3 All-SCAC selections.
Prior to his time at Southwestern, Thomas spent eight seasons as a coach at Hendrix, serving as an assistant for two years (2005-06) before being elevated to the helm of the program for six (2007-12). He led the Warriors to three SCAC tournaments, including two appearances in the SCAC Tournament championship game and the 2009 title. Following the 2009 conference tournament championship, Hendrix advanced to the West Regional of the NCAA tournament, and Thomas was named the SCAC Coach of the Year. In 2011, he led the Warriors back to the SCAC Tournament championship game after guiding Hendrix to a second-place finish in the SCAC West Division. In six seasons at the helm, Thomas coached 32 All-SCAC selections and outfielder Collin Radack, the eventual SAA Player of the Year and consensus All-American who became a 20th round selection in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Saint Louis Cardinals.
Thomas and Radack worked on the same Richmond staff for four seasons, with Radack serving as hitting coach.
Thomas also was a warrior as a fundraiser, securing more than $250,000 to build Warrior Baseball Field prior to first pitch of the 2008 campaign.
Off the field, Hendrix excelled in the classroom, earning a 3.16 GPA over the eight seasons Thomas spent with the program.
While at Hendrix, Thomas also served as assistant director of compliance for two years (2011-12) and athletic facilities construction coordinator in 2007.
BEFORE HENDRIX
Thomas spent four seasons (2018-21) as the Richmond pitching coach on Tracy Woodson's staff. In 2020, Thomas was promoted to associate head coach.
The Spiders were off to one of the hottest starts in the Woodson era in 2021 before a pause in the season due to COVID-19. Thomas's 2021 pitching staff finished the season fifth in the Atlantic 10 with a team 5.21 ERA in 293.2 innings of work. The Spider staff was second in the league by holding opponents to a .248 average against, and was third in the league averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Colby Wyatt became the first three-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week recipient for the Spiders since Tim Stauffer in 2003. Wyatt finished the 2021 season holding opponents to a .204 average against. He threw four complete games, as Richmond was 3-1 in A-10 competition in his starts. Jacob Marcus ended the season with a team-best 10.9 Ks per nine innings. Alden Mathes, who was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Freshman Team, held opponents to a .205 average against.
In 2020, Thomas' pitching staff recorded 152 strikeouts in just 17 games as the season was canceled due to COVID-19. He utilized four starters through the early stages of the season.
The Richmond pitching staff continued to make strides in 2019, earning a 4.54 team ERA in 487.2 innings of work, which included a 7-1 win at No. 17 Georgia Tech in the second game of the season. Fifteen pitchers made at least 10 appearances during the season, as the depth of the Spider staff was a key element. The weekend duo of Tim Miller and Brendan McGuigan started every weekend. Miller led the team pitching 75.2 innings and holding opponents to a .221 batting average. Miller led the team with five wins. McGuigan led the team with 84 strikeouts in 70.0 innings of work, ranking 74th nationally with 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Layne Looney returned for another season at Richmond after being drafted in 2018. Looney led the Spiders with five saves during the season, appearing in 22 games. Antonio Balducci led the team with 23 appearances out of the bullpen for the second-straight season. Thomas helped McGuigan earn the A-10 Pitcher of the Week award. Marcus ranked as the seventh-best freshman nationally in strikeouts per nine innings.
In his first full season with the Spider pitchers, Thomas' staff compiled a 3.70 ERA, had two players receive professional contract offers and helped lead the Spiders to the most wins in a single season in the Woodson era. Looney led the Spiders with a 0.60 ERA and was selected in the 19th round of the MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs before deciding to come back and pitch his senior season with Richmond. Robbie Baker signed a free agent deal with the Boston Red Sox and competed with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox (now Florida Complex League Red Sox) during the summer of 2018. The 3.70 staff ERA ranked fourth in the A-10, while the Spiders struck out an average of 8.51 hitters per game, fourth best in the conference. The Spiders struck out a school-record 471 hitters, led by Baker's 78. Under Thomas' guidance, Looney and Baker each earned All-Atlantic 10 first team honors, and Miller was named to the league's All-Freshman Team. The Spiders were among the top staffs in the nation, ranking 48th nationally in WHIP, 38th in team ERA and 21st in hits allowed per nine innings.
Thomas came to Richmond following a five-year stint (2013-17) as head coach at Southwestern (Texas). During his time at the helm, the Pirates played in five-straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournaments and advanced to the title game in 2016. Thomas coached 23 All-SCAC honorees, including 2015 SCAC Player of the Year Will Cates.
Off the field, Thomas helped develop donor and restored alumni relationships that helped with several improvements around Rockwell Family Baseball Field. During Thomas's tenure, the Pirates made upgrades to the dugouts, home plate area, laser graded the infield, installed a new irrigation system for the field and assisted with bullpen improvements.
Thomas pitched for the Warriors in 2000 before transferring to Central Arkansas, where he did not play.
Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Central Arkansas in 2004. R.J. and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters, Sophie and Isabel.
YEAR BY YEAR
2026: 22-21 (16-14 SCAC)
2025: 19-23 (9-9 SAA)
2024: 27-19 (12-9 SAA)
2023-21: 27-15 (12-9 SAA)
2022: 29-15 (12-9 SAA)
2012: 22-20 (12-8 SCAC)
2011: 19-22 (10-10 SCAC)
2010: 18-18 (7-13 SCAC)
2009: 22-23 (10-10 SCAC); SCAC Champions
2008: 14-26 (3-13 SCAC)
2007: 13-24-1 (2-14 SCAC)
What they're saying about R.J. Thomas:
"I've known R.J. since I was 15 years old, and in that time, he has never failed to support or push me both on and off the field. Win or lose, in good times or bad, he consistently brings a great attitude that can be seen by everyone around him. R.J. embodies the leadership qualities that we strive to obtain as athletes and human beings, and I'm grateful to call him a coach, mentor and friend while I pursue my professional career."
Kyle Schmidt
Minnesota Twins minor league catcher
"I played for R.J. for only two seasons (at Richmond), but his impact goes far beyond that. Coach Thomas is not only a great coach but also a great mentor and friend. He genuinely cares about each of his players as people first, not just because of their baseball abilities. As a result, it was easy for us to trust him and buy in to his philosophies as a pitching staff. Coach Thomas played a pivotal role in shifting the culture of our program. Individually, he also helped me to smooth over some mechanical inefficiencies, fine-tune my arsenal and improve my mindset on the mound. R.J. is a big reason why I am in the position I am today, living out my dream in the Seattle Mariners organization, and I owe a lot to him. Any program would be lucky to have R.J. the coach, and the person."
Brendan McGuigan
Seattle Mariners minor league pitcher
"R.J came in as the pitching coach my last year at Richmond, and I couldn't have been more fortunate to have had that year with him. From day one, he had a huge impact on my baseball career and has continued to be a part of it long after my time at Richmond finished. During my time with R.J., he would regularly set aside time to work with each player, even if that meant staying late or coming out early, and during that time, you could tell he genuinely cared about helping and making you better. Hendrix is lucky to have a coach that cares as much as he does on and off of the field."
Robbie Baker
Former Boston Red Sox minor league pitcher
"As a Hendrix baseball alumnus, but most importantly a friend and former colleague of R.J., I could not be happier to hear that he is returning to Conway. R.J. is one of the best leaders and coaches that I've been around, and I could not be more excited to see what the future holds for Warrior baseball!"
Collin Radack '14
Richmond hitting coach and former Saint Louis Cardinals minor league and Hendrix outfielder