Calhoun's Thomas wins Diamond Award

Jake Thomas never envisioned winning a Diamond Award. But the Calhoun catcher was a finalist as a junior last season and although he didn't win, it gave him the thought it was possible as a senior.

Mission accomplished.

Wednesday night, Thomas was named the winner of a Diamond Award, given annually by the Nassau County Baseball Coaches Association to the most outstanding position player and pitcher, at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale.

The other position finalists were Jimmy Bulva of Mineola, Brendan Swayne of Plainedge and James Cauchi of Garden City.

Thomas also won the inaugural Ryan T. Caulfield Award, given to the county's top catcher.

"I don't even know what to say," Thomas said. "I've had so much support from my coaches, family and teammates. That's the first thing that comes to mind. Being a finalist last year gave me the thought I could win it. It's an awesome accomplishment when you look at all the names who have won it before."

It might be easier to list the categories in which Thomas didn't lead the Colts. He led in hits, runs, home runs, RBIs, walks, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and stolen-base percentage. In 23 games, Thomas batted .485 with 40 runs, eight doubles, seven home runs, 31 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. He had a .648 on-base percentage and .941 slugging percentage. He walked 20 times and struck out just six times.

Though the offensive numbers were prolific, Thomas focused more on his defense. He concentrated on improving at catcher this season as he gets ready to play in college at Binghamton. Thomas, who had a fielding percentage of .979, made four errors and threw out nine of 15 would-be base stealers.

"I improved my defense a lot," Thomas said. "I'm not sure if it helped me win this award. I think it might have played a part."

One of the highlights of the season for Thomas came on May 2, when he hit three home runs at Valley Stream Central.

"They were three rockets," Calhoun coach Joe Corea said. "He hit the houses across the street. He has one of the best swings I have seen in 40 years as a coach."

Thomas set a high standard as a junior in leading the Colts to the Nassau Class AA championship. He batted .517 with eight home runs, 41 RBIs and a .645 on-base percentage in 33 games.

While Thomas was thrilled with the honor Wednesday night, he still was disappointed that Calhoun didn't make a deep run in the postseason. The Colts went undefeated in conference play and were the top seed in the Nassau Class AA playoffs, finishing 20-3 after losing the best-of-three semifinals to champion Carey.

"We didn't go as far as we wanted to," Thomas said. "You can't say we had a bad year. Last year was so awesome. Most of us played together since we were 7 years old and to win a county championship last year is something we'll never forget.''

In his three-year career at Calhoun, Thomas batted .461 with a .585 on-base percentage, and .849 slugging percentage. Thomas is just as successful in the classroom. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has a 4.0 GPA. He was accepted into Binghamton's School of Management.

"He's a great leader," Corea said. "He's always smiling. Even the other team loves him. He has great sportsmanship. He sets the tone for our team."