Kobi Thomas '26 Recruiting Profile

I identify as a scholar-athlete and want to find the right balance between my love of baseball and my career goal of becoming a journalist.  I know that I want to play college baseball if at all possible and want to attend a college that has both a strong baseball program and a rigorous academic program. I would describe myself as driven and committed. I have always been a top student, but I wasn't always a solid baseball player.  I was pushed 4-5 years ago by my coach to put in time and effort into training if I wanted to become a better player.  I learned quickly that being a top athlete is about commitment and practice.  That year, I went from being one of the weaker players on my team to one of the strongest.  I am the player who arrives early to all practices, leaves late, and goes to every optional practice and tournament.  I am intentional and scientific in my approach to becoming a better baseball player, from my meal plan to my workouts.  I am now in my junior year at College Preparatory High School, one of the most competitive academically rigorous high schools in the country, and I will continue to prioritize my academic development as much as my athletic development. Freshman year was a rough year for baseball as I adjusted to a much higher academic bar and missed baseball for 6 months while recovering from Little League elbow.  That summer, I broke my hand fielding a ball and missed much of the travel ball summer season.  To level up my game last summer, I focused on building muscle, getting disciplined about my diet, and working on my mental game. Last fall, playing with a competitive travel baseball team, EJ Sports Warriors, I saw my game improve steadily, with a batting average over 300 during the fall season. I was a starter and the number 3 batter on my high school team last spring, with a batting average of 354. I am now even more committed to becoming a stronger baseball player and have set aggressive goals for baseball and school for my junior year.  I have committed to intensive personal training with the goal of dramatically increasing my agility, speed and strength; improving my mental game with my new team; and becoming a much more efficient student.   While I have always been a hard worker willing to put in the additional hours needed for improvement, this year I learned that sometimes there are not enough hours in the day for all of my goals and that prioritization and efficiency are critical to effectiveness.