Aug. 31, 2011

CINCINNATI --Former Musketeer first baseman Ben Thomas has been making waves in the minor leagues. The former XU standout was named to the 2011 Arizona League Post Season All-Star Team and earned a Northwest League Player of the Week nod this week.

Thomas, a 34th-round pick in this June's Draft, hit .346 with the Arizona Rookie League Giants before joining the Salem-Keiser Volcanoes earlier this month. Thomas continued his success, batting .321 with 17 RBIs in 22 Northwest League games. He opened the week with four consecutive multi-hit games, including a 4-for-5 performance against Vancouver on Tuesday that saw him plate four runs and miss the cycle by a triple. Though his bat cooled off somewhat, Thomas still drove in a run in each of his next three contests before going 2-for-4 against Boise on Sunday.

This past season Thomas led the Musketeers in home runs with 15 and posted an impressive .350 average, which was a second-best among the Musketeers. The big left hander's offensive numbers included 42 runs scored, 16 doubles, and 58 RBI. Thomas led the A-10 in RBI (31), home runs (10) and total bases (74) during the conference season, and was tops in the league in total home runs and RBI. He also became the top home run hitter in XU history this season with 44.

Xavier Musketeers Baseball

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