No. 17 Josh Thoms
Second base / Shortstop * 5-10 * 184 * R-R * Junior * 2L * Newton, Miss. (Newton HS/East Central CC)2004
Solid middle infielder who adds maturity and depth to the youngBulldog infielding corps at shortstop and second base * Eager to buildonhis playing experience of the past two seasons after earning a rosterslotas a walkon during 2001 fall drills * Contact hitter with a goodunderstanding of the game * Following in the footsteps of older brothersandformer Diamond Dogs Hank and Lake Thoms and cousin Rusty Thoms, aBulldogoutfielder..
2003
Played in 14 games as a sophomore, primarily in a reserve role atsecond base * Made his seasonal debut in the NBC Classic againstConnecticut(Feb. 23) * Went 1-for-10 at the plate, scoring single runs against EastTennessee State (Mar. 2) and Mississippi Valley State (Apr. 15) *Singledagainst MVSU for his lone hit of the year * Committed one fielding errorin13 chances (.923) * One of 13 Bulldogs named to the 2003 SEC BaseballAcademic Honor Roll.
2002
Saw playing time in 12 games as a defensive replacement in the Bulldog infield * Hit .333 with four singles in 12 at-bats * Made his MSU debut against Jacksonville State (Mar. 2) * Was hit by a pitch and scored his first run against Jackson State (Mar. 6) * Registered his first hit and first RBI against eventual NCAA runner-up South Carolina (Mar. 17) * Also delivered singles at Louisiana State (Mar. 29), at Auburn (Apr. 21) and against West Alabama (Apr. 24) * Hit .600 (3-for-5) with a .667 on-base percentage in six SEC games.
JUNIOR COLLEGE
Received a full scholarship to East Central (Miss.) C.C. for both football and baseball * Handled ECCC's punting and place kicking duties as a freshman in 2000 * Sustained a broken thumb four days prior to the 2001 baseball season opener and sat out the campaign as a medical redshirt.
HIGH SCHOOL
Five-year letter-winner at Newton High School, where he was coached by Chris Clark * Hit a team-best .443 and led the NHS Tigers with 32 RBI and 14 doubles * Earned Class 2-A all-state honors and was invited to compete in the Mississippi High School All-Star Game * Three-time all-division selection * Also lettered and earned all-division in basketball and football * Team offensive MVP and all-state Class 2-A all-state selection in football * Beta Club member, honor roll student, recipient of NHS Citizenship Award and Mr. Newton High School as a senior.
Personal
Born Joshua Moore Thoms on June 22, 1981 in Meridian, Miss. * Son of Richard and Ellen Thoms of Newton, Miss. * Brother of former Baseball Bulldogs Hank and Lake Thoms and cousin of another former Bulldog Rusty Thoms * Majoring in Real Estate & Mortgage.
Year AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HB SO SF S SB-SA PO A E FLD 2002 .333 12-0 12 3 4 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 0-0 2 4 3 .667 2003 .100 14-0 10 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0-0 5 7 1 .923 2004 .182 17-0 11 2 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 1 0 0-0 2 3 0 1.000 TOTAL .212 44-0 33 7 7 0 0 0 3 2 1 9 1 0 0-0 9 14 4 .852