Travis Thomas joined the Longwood coaching staff in 2016. Longwood baseball head coach Ryan Mau rounded out his coaching staff with the addition of the former VMI pitcher and Lenoir-Rhyne assistant coach, Thomas, as a volunteer assistant coach.
Thomas was a four-year letter winner and senior team captain with the Keydets from 2010-14 before embarking on his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2014-15. He went on to serve as assistant coach of the Charlottesville Tom Sox in the Valley Baseball League this past summer and will return to that summer collegiate team as head coach in 2016.
"I am very excited to have Travis join our staff," said Mau. "He brings a tremendous work ethic and passion for the game, which makes him one of the top up-and-coming young coaches around."
A native of Fredricksburg, Va., Thomas' first year in the collegiate coaching ranks saw him aid in the development of a Lenoir-Rhyne pitching staff that won 27 games and amassed 421 strikeouts in just 389.0 innings. Anchoring that staff was Thomas St. Clair, who set the school single-season record with 91 strikeouts in 57.2 innings, and Ivan Vieitez, who was drafted in the 27th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft as Lenoir-Rhyne's first draft pick in 24 years.
"I would like to thank Coach Mau for the opportunity to work with his staff and players," Thomas said. "They run a first-class program here in Farmville, and I look forward to the upcoming season as a Longwood Lancer."
At Longwood, Thomas assists the Lancer pitching staff. As a right-hander at VMI, Thomas pitched primarily out of the bullpen, making 64 career appearances. He finished his career with a 5-3 record, three saves, a 5.64 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 91.0 innings despite missing the 2013 season rehabbing from an elbow injury. As a sophomore in 2011, he set the VMI single-season record for strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 10.18 with 46 punchouts across 40.2 innings. He bounced back from the injury as a senior to go 2-0 with three saves and a 4.11 ERA.
Thomas graduated from VMI in May of 2014 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics and business. He served as VMI's baseball academic captain in the fall of 2012, providing academic assistance and mentoring to his underclassman teammates.
