Binghamton University Athletics

A native of Merrick, N.Y., Jake Thomas played baseball at Binghamton from 2012-15. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the School of Management in 2015. 

The team's No. 3 hitter and starting left fielder all four years, Thomas produced an impactful career that both lifted the Bearcats to a pair of conference crowns and also etched his name throughout the record books.

Thomas was a four-year honoree by the America East, winning first team all-conference honors three years and All-Rookie honors as a freshman. He also was a three-time All-Academic Team baseball selection. 

After leading the team with a .424 on-base percentage in 2012, Thomas established himself as an elite player in his sophomore season. He led the America East in batting average (.371), slugging (.522) and on-base percentage (.517) and his OBP ranked No. 2 in the entire nation. Thomas was a first-team all-region selection, which put him on the All-America ballot. He led the Bearcats to 30 wins, an America East championship and NCAA appearance.      

In 2014, Thomas again anchored a Binghamton lineup that excelled in the postseason. The Bearcats won four straight games at the America East tournament and stunned top-seed Stony Brook in a 12-inning title game, earning another NCAA berth. Thomas repeated as a first team all-conference selection after collecting 50 hits and a team-high 35 RBI. He also was chosen as the top America East Baseball Scholar-Athlete.  

In his senior season, Thomas hit .352 with 18 extra-base hits and led the Bearcats in slugging (.521) and again ranked among the nation's top-25 in on-base percentage (.478). He capped his career with a third-straight all-conference selection. Three weeks after his collegiate career ended, Thomas was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball Draft, earliest a Binghamton field position player had been drafted in 25 years.

Thomas was the 2015 John Bilos Award winner for career achievement and was the school's nominee for America East Man of the Year.

The final career numbers were staggering: 206 hits, 125 RBI and school records for on-base percentage (.453) and walks (132). He ranked among the program's top-10 in six offensive categories.