Steel Valley Storm

Youngstown State is a relatively small school in Ohio that isn’t exactly known for churning out professional athletes. However, the Penguins’ baseball program has produced several Major League Baseball players, including Don Leshnock, Dave Dravecky, Brad Hennessey, and Phil Klein. One of the most recent players to make the leap from Youngstown State to the big leagues was Justin Thomas. He has captured baseball fans’ attention and has become a favorite among New York Yankees betting enthusiasts. For those interested in following baseball games, Caesars Sportsbook offers the latest MLB odds and updates, including detailed analysis and predictions. With that said, let’s take a look at his journey at YSU and beyond.

The Toledo, OH, native made his mark on the Ohio high school baseball scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s while at Clay High School and Cardinal Stritch High School by hitting his fair share of home runs. He set school records for most career home runs and most home runs in a season while attending the school.

But after graduating from high school, Thomas started attending Youngstown State University and focused all his attention on pitching for the Penguins from 2002 through 2005. Most notably, he helped the team capture a Horizon League title in 2004 and led the team to its first-ever College World Series. He followed it up by being named the Horizon Pitcher of the Year in 2005 as well as a First Team All-League player. He left Youngstown State with 250 strikeouts, second-most in school history, while also becoming the only player in the Penguins’ history to win seven games in back-to-back seasons.

Once his Youngstown State baseball career ended, Thomas was drafted with the 113th pick in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft by the Seattle Mariners. From there, he started his slow climb to the major leagues, pitching in minor league games for the Everett AquaSox, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, and the Tacoma Rainiers. Everything finally came together for the lefty in 2008 when he made his major league debut for the Mariners in a game against the Texas Rangers. He pitched just one inning in the game, but he didn’t allow any hits or runs and recorded a strikeout to end it.

Thomas bounced around the MLB for a few years after that. He spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010, the Boston Red Sox in 2011 and 2012, and even the New York Yankees in 2012. He also played for the Oakland Athletics in 2012 and 2013 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2014, and he went overseas for stints in Japan, Korea, and China from 2013 through 2015. 

Thomas never put up spectacular stats while in Major League Baseball. He finished with a 0-2 career record and a 6.93 ERA with 14 strikeouts. But even still, it’s amazing to see how he was able to go from being a pitcher at a school that isn’t on most baseball fans’ radars to a Youngstown State University notable alumni with an MLB career to back up just how good he was at one point. It’s a story that demonstrates Thomas’ resilient spirit, and it should show kids at Youngstown State and other small schools that anything is possible when you put in the work.