Missouri State

BRENT THOMAS
Baseball Assistant Coach, 1983-2014
Inducted, 2016

Brent Thomas had a two-year playing career at Missouri State as he transferred to MSU as junior from Crowder College where he had been team MVP both years at the Neosho, Mo., school. A native of Marshfield, Mo., Thomas had two-year batting mark of .367 for the Bears of coach Bill Rowe and played right field on the Bears' 1982 NCAA regional champion and Division II World Series team. Keith Guttin took over as the Bears' head coach in 1983 as MSU moved to Division I and Thomas began a 32-year run as the Bears' first base coach. He was also the program's hitting and outfield coach, did player academic evaluations, and was an active recruiter. In Thomas's long tenure on the staff, Missouri State graduated from Meador Park to Price Cutter Park to Hammons Field, rolled up over 1,000 victories, won six Missouri Valley Conference regular season or conference tournament championships and made trips to NCAA Division I regional tournament competition in 1987, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2012. The Bears reached regional tournament finals in 1997 in Lubbock, 1999 in Fayetteville, 2002 in Lincoln and then won the 2003 Lincoln Regional and bested Ohio State two straight to win the Columbus Super Regional title and advance to the NCAA College World Series with a final 40-26 season record. The Bears had winning records 27 of the 32 seasons Thomas was on the staff and punched up 40 or more victories in nine seasons. As a coach, Thomas was instrumental in the performances of more than 50 Bears who signed professional baseball contracts, including Bill Mueller, Jason Hart, Matt Cepicky, and Ryan Howard who reached the major leagues. Thomas retired after the 2014 Missouri State season.