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In 1996, Greg King was hired by Thomas College
and was assigned the difficult task of starting a baseball
program. During the first season, the team was made up of only 11
players, some of them had not played organized baseball for three or
four years.
When hired, Coach King developed a five year plan to become one of
the most respected baseball programs in New England. In 1997, the
baseball team won only two games. After the 1998 season, the Terriers
saw their record improve to four wins. In 1999 their win record improved
to eight wins. In the year 2000, the Terriers ended the season with 17
wins. For four consecutive seasons, the Terriers doubled their win total
from each of the previous years.
In only five seasons, Coach King's plan to become one of the most
respected baseball programs in New England finally came to completion.
After the 2001 regular season, the Terriers found themselves in the
conference tournament for the third consecutive season. During the final
day of the tournament, the Terriers needed to win their final two games.
After beating conference rival St. Joseph's College by a score of
6-4 in game one, the Terriers recorded 21 hits in a 15-1 pounding of St.
Joseph's College to earn the title of the 2001 NAIA New England
Champions.
Despite falling in the championship game in 2002, Coach King again
helped reach his goal of ensuring that every one of his players is
allowed the chance to participate in a championship game.
The 2003 season brought another NAIA New England Championship when
the Terriers won 3 consecutive games in the Sunrise Conference
Championship. Unlike 2001 when the Terriers were outmatched at the
next level, the 2003 Terriers lost two close games at H. Allen Ryan
Field in the Region 10 championship tournament vs. Wilmington College.
The Terriers baseball team will follow Thomas's athletic program from the
NAIA's Sunrise Conference to the NCAA Division III's North Atlantic Conference
in the upcoming 2004 season. The new affiliation will allow Thomas to
potentially compete at a high level against other institutions who don't allow
athletic scholarship opportunities. The change will help the Thomas
baseball program reach its ultimate goal: to compete at the Division III
World Series.
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