By Matthew Meyer (@mattmeyersjsu) – Spear Reporter | Senior right-handed pitcher David Thomas after delivering a pitch to the plate (Photo by Matthew Meyer – Spear Photographer)
San Jose State (7-12, 2-1 MWC) senior right-handed pitcher David Thomas was recognized by the Mountain West Conference as the Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Thomas is currently 1-2 in five starts this year with a 4.68 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 25 innings.
Thomas’ thrilling performance against the New Mexico Lobos on March 13, in which he pitched six shutout innings with five strikeouts earned him the decoration.
https://x.com/SanJoseStateBSB/status/2032642622221648004
The Spartans have not had a Pitcher of the Week award since May of 2024, when former left-handed pitcher Mickey Thompson received the honor.
Thomas has had glimpses of excellence in his five starts this season, highlighted by his complete-game shutout against his former school, Saint Mary’s College, at home on February 28.
In that game, Thomas only allowed four hits and a walk while striking out a season high of six batters to keep the Gaels off the board.
While Thomas’ recent start displayed his talents on the mound, he has not been spared from the occasional bad start.
In his first start of the season against Long Beach State on Feb. 14, Thomas was taken off the mound after just two innings of work, having given up five runs on four hits and three walks.
That start marked both Thomas’ and the Spartans’ first loss of the season.
However, following that loss, Thomas bounced back in his start against the University of San Francisco on Feb. 21. He went 4.2 innings and only allowed two runs after striking out five.
“I was really happy to see that he’s continuing to progress to get to be the guy that we know he is and can be,” SJSU head coach Brad Sanfilippo said following the match against USF.
Despite a rough outing against the University of Pittsburgh on March 7, where he gave up six runs on ten hits, Thomas’ ability to bounce back after bad starts has made him a lethal weapon in the Spartans’ arsenal.
“I just tell myself to take it one pitch at a time,” Thomas said after his first conference start against the Lobos. “The first pitch is always the most important and just focusing on one thing at a time.”
Thomas leads the team in both games started and innings pitched and ranks second in strikeouts behind senior right-handed pitcher Kyle Calzadiaz.
With conference play heating up, Thomas has shown he can play a big role for the Spartans as they push to return to the Mountain West Championship for a fifth straight year.
The Spartans will take on the San Diego State Aztecs (11-9, 2-1 MWC) in a non-conference match at 1:05 p.m. on Friday, March 20 at Excite Ballpark.
Both teams are currently tied for third place in the Mountain West Conference standings and will use Friday’s matchup to prepare for conference play in May.
