A pitcher, a hitter, a right fielder. For freshman Hayden Thomas, that’s nothing out of the ordinary. But to play those positions on two different teams – well, that’s a little different.

“It honestly feels pretty good to be on both teams,” Thomas said.

When Thomas tried out this year for baseball, there was the expectation to make one team, but instead he made two. He is a relieving pitcher for varsity and a right fielder and hitter for JV1.

“He’s pitching for varsity and playing outfielder for JV,” head baseball coach Paul Cochran said. “It’s tough for a freshman to jump up from freshman to JV or freshman to varsity and offensively pitch. We want him to be good at both pitching and playing as an outfielder, so we’re making him successful in both.”

Thomas split his time between both teams, sometimes on the same day. At one game, Saturday, March 7, Thomas made his way out to the varsity home game to be the starting pitcher against Chisholm Trail, then quickly made his way to Lake Travis for JV’s game against the Cavaliers. Thomas had five strikeouts in the 4-3 win over Chisholm Trail.

“I love to pitch because I feel like I’m in control,” Thomas said. “I have the ball in my hand, and I have control of what happens next.”

While Thomas may pitch for the varsity team, he remains a part of the JV team as well to work on his hitting and outfielder skills.

“He’s a genuine dude,” senior pitcher Tyler Dowden said. “He’s a great team player. I mean, he’s inexperienced in the sense that he doesn’t have as much wisdom as some of the seniors on our team. Overall, he’s still got a lot to learn.”

Thomas has loved playing since he started at the age of five.

“Baseball is just something I’m good at,” Thomas said. “It’s always been a place that I could go to do my own thing.”

This situation, however, isn’t that unusual. According to Cochran, baseball players for his team tend to do this somewhat frequently. This year, at least eight players maneuvered between JV1 and JV2.

“It’s really not all that unusual for them to move. Every year since we’ve opened we’ve had two to three kids that move up and down between the teams. We’ve had at least six pitch for varsity then return to the JV team. It’s extremely helpful,” Cochran said. “It makes it to where our kids play better together. If you’ve got the ability to move up and down we’ll move you up and down. It’s been a tough season with the weather, so it’s great to have boys that can fill in.”

With his freshman season over, Thomas will be able to capitalize on his knowledge for next year. During the season, he’s worked on learning new pitches and becoming a better hitter and outfielder.

“Hayden throws the ball hard for whatever team he’s playing on, be it JV or varsity,” Cochran said. “He packs a lot of velocity into one throw. It’s effortless for him.”