Baseball Adds Transfer from Arizona

July 1, 2002

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University baseball team added a talented transfer to its 2003 squad Monday when head coach Mark O'Brien announced that Will Thompson is transferring from the University of Arizona to the Mission Campus.

In his first collegiate year, Thompson appeared in 32 games, in which he belted 17 hits, three of which were triples, while knocking in nine runs. He also picked up 14 walks and had a fielding percentage of .990 at first base.

"Will gives us a left handed hitter that we can use in the middle of the lineup," said O'Brien. "Not only did he do well at the plate in his first year in a tough conference, but he fielded his position very well and we look forward to having his glove around next year."

Despite being drafted in the 42nd Round of the 2001 Amateur Draft, Thompson signed with Arizona out of Loyola Sacred Heart High School in Montana. Since Montana does not sponsor high school baseball, he played American Legion ball instead. Playing for coach Brent Hathaway, Thompson set every offensive record in the program's history.

In addition to his American Legion accolades, Thompson also ran cross country and played basketball for coach Matt Morris at Loyola Sacred Heart, lettering twice in both sports. The cross country team won the Montana State Championship in 1999 and 2000 under his leadership. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and had a perfect 4.0 grade point average in high school.