FROM PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON – Georgetown University Francis X. Rienzo Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed has named Edwin Thompson as the new head coach of the baseball program. Thompson comes to the Hilltop after spending the past five seasons as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University. He brings 16 years of collegiate coaching experience, as well as four years working with USA Baseball, and has recruited and coached 23 All-Americans and 43 players who went on to play professional baseball.
“Edwin Thompson is a rising star in collegiate baseball and we are delighted to welcome him and his family to the Hilltop,” said Reed. “We are confident that he possesses all of the skills necessary to bring prominence to our program and, more importantly, I look forward to watching his impact on our student-athletes beyond the diamond. He has a proven track record of success, and I know that he will leave his mark on Hoya baseball.”
Thompson guided the Colonels to a 122-123 record over his five seasons, including five wins over top-30 ranked teams, and registered 74 wins over the past two-plus years including a 12-2 start to 2020 season before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He led EKU to consecutive 30-win seasons (2018-19) and the Colonels qualified for two-straight Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournaments.
A pair of Colonels earned All-America honors in 2020 and Nick Howie became just the fourth person in OVC history to be chosen as an Academic All-American of the Year in any sport. As a team, EKU was 12th in the nation in batting average (.314) and 15th in scoring (8.4 runs/game).
Eastern Kentucky registered 16 conference wins in 2019, the program’s most since 2013. The pitching staff broke the EKU mark for strikeouts in a season for the third straight year and recorded the best team ERA since 2008. Aaron Ochsenbein broke the school’s single season ERA record with a 0.83 mark and was chosen as an All-American and a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. He was drafted in the sixth round of the Major League Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the highest drafted EKU player since 2008.
The Colonels won 30 games in 2018, finishing five spots higher in the OVC than predicted. Alex Holderbach was selected as an All-American and was the first OVC player ever to be chosen as a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation’s top catcher. He was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best player in the nation.
In 2017, Thompson helped Ben Fisher earn multiple All-America honors and the OVC Co-Player of the Year Award. Along the way, Fisher broke the program record for home runs in a season, was named national player of the week multiple times and ranked among the top three in the nation in home runs, runs and slugging. He was named the 2017 Academic All-America of the Year, the first EKU student-athlete selected as the Academic All-America of the Year for any sport. In Thompson’s first season in 2016, Mandy Alvarez led the nation in hits per game and was named OVC Co-Player of the Year, while Kyle Nowlin broke the program record for home runs and walks in a season.
Academically, EKU is one of only 13 NCAA Division I baseball programs to earn the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award each of the last five years. In order to qualify for the award, programs must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. The team won the 2017 OVC Team Academic Achievement Award and the Colonels have had six Academic All-Americans under Thompson.The program has also been active in the community, working closely with Habitat for Humanity, the Cincinnati Reds Urban Youth Academy and Samaritan’s Feet, providing more than 1,00 pairs of shoes for children in need over the past four years.
Thompson spent four years working with USA Baseball. His roles included evaluating players for the USA 18U National Team, serving as the pitching coach in 2015 and coaching the 17U National Development Program. In the summer of 2016, he served as the manager of the Stripes team during the USA Baseball 2016 Tournament of Stars.
Before arriving at Eastern Kentucky, Thompson spent three seasons at Georgia State University where he served as the pitching coach for the Panthers in 2013 and 2014 before being promoted to recruiting coordinator/defensive coordinator before the 2015 season. His 2015 recruiting class was ranked by Perfect Game as one of the top-100 recruiting classes in the country. The Panthers won at least 30 games in two of his three seasons.
Thompson spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons at Duke University as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Following the 2012 campaign, Thompson served as the interim head coach for one month. While working with the Blue Devils, his 2012 recruiting class was recognized by Baseball America as one of the top recruiting classes in the South and rated among the top-35 in the nation by Perfect Game. The group included four future Major League Baseball draft picks. Thompson worked with a total of 18 players at Duke who would go on to play professional baseball, including current New York Mets All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Prior to joining the Duke coaching staff, Thompson compiled a 37-33 record in two seasons (2009-10) as the head coach at NCAA Division III Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. His 2010 team went 25-11, setting the school record for wins in a season. Thompson’s coaching career began at the University of Maine at Farmington where he served four seasons (2005-08) as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.
The Jay, Maine native played collegiately at Howard University and the University of Maryland before concluding his career at Webber University in Babson Park, Florida where he helped the team to a school record 37 wins and its first-ever regional appearance. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in general business at Webber in 2003.
Thompson played one year for the Bangor Lumberjacks in the independent Northeast League before starting his coaching career. He and his wife have a child together.
“I could not be more excited to join the Georgetown Athletics family and the Georgetown community,” Thompson said. “Georgetown represents a standard of academic and athletic excellence, which will be upheld by our coaches and players every day. I would like to thank Mr. Reed and Dan Trump along with everyone involved in the interview process for this opportunity.
I was attracted to Georgetown because of the tradition of the school. I like the idea of earning a degree from one of the best educations in the world while playing in the BIG EAST Conference. Coming back to the Washington D.C. area, a place that I have some much history with, along with the commitment of the University for the baseball program all were factors to come and lead this team. I am looking forward to starting a new chapter in Georgetown baseball history.”
What Others Are Saying About Edwin Thompson …
Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt Head Baseball Coach
“If there is such a thing as a perfect match for a teacher to be teaching in the “right” environment, it’s this one. One of our country’s finest universities matched with one of the country’s youngest and brightest teachers. Edwin is a genuine human being with teaching skills that will supersede a ball, bat and glove. His ability to use baseball as a platform to develop the skills of student-athletes has been realized in his past. Ironically, in a week where Georgetown lost an icon, they gain a young person who will be following a similar path in his passion for young men and their growth. Thank you, Eastern Kentucky, for giving Edwin an opportunity to help shape his growth and congratulations to Georgetown for recognizing that growth and making him a part of your fine university.”
Erik Bakich, Michigan Head Baseball Coach
“Edwin Thompson is a perfect match for Georgetown University. Success has followed him everywhere he has been, earning a reputation as a tireless worker and a great program builder. Edwin will be a tremendous steward of Georgetown’s prestigious academic and athletic traditions, fostering a culture of strong core values on and off the field. He has been an incredible mentor to his players, as well as inner city and urban communities to promote youth participation in baseball. Edwin’s leadership will propel the Hoya baseball program to a championship level in the BIG EAST very soon. Congratulations to Edwin, his wife, and the entire Georgetown University Athletics Department.”
Danny Montgomery, Colorado Rockies Special Assistant to the General Manager
“Congratulations to my friend Edwin Thompson on becoming the new head baseball coach at Georgetown University. Definitely one of the young, high-ceiling individuals in the college coaching ranks. From stops at Duke, Georgia State, Eastern Kentucky and now Georgetown he will continue to change young men’s lives and leave his fingerprints on each program. Edwin is a man of high character and integrity with the ability to teach, coach and develop players of diverse backgrounds. Wishing him and the Hoya family all the best.”
