The pitch count had long passed triple digits. JD Thompson stood on the mound, sweat beading under his cap, but still firing. Eight innings, 120 pitches, 14 strikeouts. One mistake — a leadoff home run — and nothing else.
That’s how the junior left-hander opened Vanderbilt’s sweep of No. 5 Georgia — not with flash, but with force. The 3-1 win wasn’t just a key SEC victory. It was Thompson’s best collegiate outing, the kind that turns heads in major league war rooms.
“I understand how good I can be,” he said after the game. “It’s just continuing to keep getting better. I know my stuff plays. It’s about carrying that confidence.”
Thompson’s timing couldn’t be better. With the MLB draft less than three months away, he’s finally stringing together the kind of starts that reflect his early-season hype. A preseason All-SEC selection and D1Baseball All-American Third Team honoree, Thompson entered the year ranked as the No. 12 starting pitcher in the country. His path hasn’t always been linear since then — but it’s been productive.
Through 10 starts, the Rusk, Texas, native owns a 3.95 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 18 walks across 54 2/3 innings. His arsenal is anchored by a sharp slider and fastball that touches the mid-90s, which has kept SEC hitters off balance when his command is right. He’s posted double-digit strikeouts in three starts and delivered shutdown outings against Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia.
The Georgia start, though, may mark a turning point.
After a rocky stretch that included five earned runs against Arkansas and four more against Oklahoma, Thompson rebounded with a dominant, composed performance against arguably the nation’s top offense.
Thompson has always pitched with an edge. A multi-sport athlete at Rusk High, he earned All-State honors and led his team to its first-ever state championship appearance. His prep stats were video-game worthy — a combined 19-1 record and sub-0.40 ERA over his final two seasons, including 194 strikeouts as a junior.
At Vanderbilt, his trajectory has been steadier. He debuted in relief in 2023, posted a 4.15 ERA across 12 starts in 2024, and now leads the Commodores’ weekend rotation as a junior. As his strikeout rate continues to climb, so does his draft stock.
Scouts have noted Thompson’s durability and growth. His ability to limit walks while maintaining strikeout power — 167 career Ks to 49 walks — suggests he could fit as either a back-end starter or left-handed bullpen weapon in pro ball. And with Vanderbilt surging toward a potential home regional, he’ll have more chances to prove it.
The Commodores’ sweep of Georgia lifted them to 30-10 overall and fifth in the SEC standings. They’ll need a few more wins to lock in hosting rights, but if Thompson keeps pitching like he did last Friday night, that shouldn’t be a problem.
” I guess they (Georgia) thought they would come out here, and this guy and team would roll over and that wasn’t the case,” Georgia head coach Wes Johnson said after the game. “That sucker dug in and competed, and when it was time for us to turn on the switch, he already got ahead of us.’
That same drive is now showing up on the mound — and on the radar of teams beyond just Hawkins Field.
