Scholar Stories: Thomas' Career Path Discovered During Baseball Trials
1/16/2019 10:30:00 AM | Baseball, Features
Continuing the popular series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ako Thomas wasn't sure what career path to choose when he entered the University of Michigan as a freshman. He made the Honor Roll all four years at Chicago Mount Carmel, was a member of the National Honor Society, batted .397 as a senior and helped lead his school to a state championship in 2013.
Thomas is as motivated in the classroom as he is on the baseball field.
"But I had no clue what I wanted to do," said Thomas, a first team All-Big Ten second baseman as a sophomore in 2017, when he also was Academic All-Big Ten. "I knew I loved baseball and loved exercising. But I tried out psychology with a couple classes and thought I'd do that."
However, injuries he suffered in each of the last two seasons got him thinking.
"I broke the hamate bone in my wrist and that sidelined me for about three weeks (in 2017)," said Thomas, who returned to play with a custom-designed batting glove after surgery. "Then, last year, I had a (lower leg) stress reaction that sidelined me for the rest of the year. They were both bad timing, coming near the end of the year.
"I wanted to learn more about the body and how to stay healthy. I'd had a few injuries, and I thought that the Applied Exercise Science major would be the best for me. I now have two routes I want to follow. I want to be a coach. I love teaching people all the things I've learned over the years, especially at Michigan, where I've learned a ton about baseball. Or I could be a strength and conditioning coach someday. That's right up my alley. I love working out and keeping the body strong."
He's particularly enjoyed biomechanics and instructor Kathy Kern.
"I just loved that class," said Thomas, who is in the School of Kinesiology. "She made it fun. We did a lot of labs, and we worked on biomechanics and how the body works. I really enjoyed that and the professor."
Thomas said "time management" is crucial to his success, and he strives to get assignments done early so he can focus on baseball during in-season weekends.
"Sometimes you have to sacrifice your social life a little bit to get studies done, because it's so important to get good grades," he said.
His father, Zebedee, who works in construction, and mother, Reeshemah, employed at a bank, showed him the way where dedication was concerned.
"My parents are really awesome," said Thomas. "They led by example for me and my two (older) brothers, and that's how I got my work habits. Both are so hard-working. I put the effort into school that they put into work."
He grew up on the south side of Chicago, not far from where the White Sox play, and became a fan of team stars Paul Konerko, Scott Podsednik and Jermaine Dye. But he wears No. 4 for Brandon Phillips, a classy second baseman who was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the Cincinnati Reds.
"I modeled my game after Brandon Phillips a little bit -- especially the way I play defense," said Thomas. "I always thought he had a swagger about him while fielding ground balls, and made it look pretty easy. I've admired him for a while."
Thomas is pursuing two goals as a senior: a degree and a Big Ten championship.
"I want to do everything I can to get my team a Big Ten championship," said Thomas. "It's something I want, everyone on the team wants, and everyone on the coaching staff wants. My goal is to play as hard as I can and get that championship. It's very, very important."
The Wolverines had a 20-game win streak last season and were atop the Big Ten standings before going 8-9 in the final 17 games to fall short of that championship. Thomas was injured for the final five games, including the Big Ten Tournament, and Michigan won only one of those.
Thomas had a 29-game on-base streak in 2018, when he ended up batting .272. He had a 38-game on-base streak in 2017, when he batted a team-high .354 despite suffering the broken hamate bone while swinging at a pitch in mid-April.
He immediately felt a sharp pain, but gutted it out, finishing the at-bat with a single. However, he had to remove himself from the game after having difficulty getting a fielder's glove over the broken bone in his wrist.
It was one of eight bones located in the wrist.
"They just took it out," said Thomas. "You don't really need it, honestly. They took it out, sewed it up, and I was only out three weeks."
He said he feels "as if I let the team down" when hurt, but coaches and teammates "picked me up" and assured that wasn't the case.
Wolverine head coach Erik Bakich and assistant coach Nick Schnabel have had big impacts on Thomas.
"Coach Bakich has taught me how to play hard and play the game the right way," said Thomas. "He's taught me grit, too, how to be tough. He knows how things are supposed to be done, and taught me to be more consistent, and I appreciate that. He's very structured.
"Coach Schnabel is the one who recruited me here in the first place. I have a really good relationship with Coach Schnabel and Coach Bakich, and I spend more time with Coach Schnabel because he's the infield coach. I've learned pretty much everything I know from him."
Thomas said his favorite game came as a freshman, when he provided a walk-off win over rival Michigan State with a run-scoring single in the 11th inning on April 29, 2016.
"It was like an 11-pitch at-bat with two outs," said Thomas, who is 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. "I was just battling my heart out, a little freshman, and somehow I got a base hit and we scored. My teammates picked me up (literally in this case), and it was just awesome."
Now, his senior season is approaching. The Wolverines open play Feb. 15 with the first of three games against Binghamton at the New York Mets' facilities in Port St. Lucie, Florida.Â
"Time really does fly," said Thomas. "It seems to have gone by in a blink of an eye."
