The only thing bigger than J.J. Thompson’s upside on the baseball field is his smile when he talks about it.
It’s been a whirlwind 13 months for J.J., who went from pitching in the state baseball tournament to pitching in the NCAA Tournament. He’s back home for the summer but still representing Hopkinsville on the diamond as a member of the Hoptown Hoppers.
J.J. committed to Wright State University before his junior season and then put together a senior season at Hopkinsville High School that saw him named Kentucky Player of the Year by Prep Baseball Report. He helped the Tigers to an Elite 8 finish while going 7-2 on the mound with a 0.87 ERA.
At the plate, he led the Tigers with a .355 batting average with five home runs and 24 RBI.
J.J. believed he was going to Wright State to play the outfield, but some fall bullpen sessions turned some heads and resulted in him being moved to the Raiders’ pitching staff.
In the spring, he made 24 appearances out of the bullpen and compiled a 2-0 record. His lone save came in the Horizon League Championship game, where he pitched 3.2 innings to beat Milwaukee.
J.J. was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and saw action in two of Wright State’s NCAA Tourney games against East Tennessee State and Louisville.
The Hoppers’ uniform is the third from Hopkinsville J.J. has worn in his baseball career. He began his high school career at Heritage Christian Academy, where he helped lead the Warriors to back-to-back Kentucky Christian Athletic Association state championships.
With a combination of talent and character, one could almost call J.J. Thompson Hopkinsville’s baseball ambassador.
In this YSE interview, J.J. talks about the summer adjustment to wooden bats and looking ahead to his sophomore season at Wright State University.
