With the turning of the calendar year, high school spring sports start cranking it up for their upcoming seasons. And this year, a new face and name will be be leading the Richmond Hill High School Wildcat Baseball Program, Coach Hill Thomas.

Coach Thomas grew up in a small farming community in Blakely, Georgia. “I was raised by generations of educators and learned the values of hard work from one grandfather who was a farmer and the other who was a college baseball coach and Athletic Director,” he tells me in a recent interview. “They instilled values in me that I carry into each day and try to pass on to my students, both on and off the field.”

Thomas attended Darton State College where he played baseball for two years. Due to an injury, his playing career was short lived. He transferred to the University of Georgia shortly after and pursued a degree in special education.

Thomas started coaching baseball in 2017 at Coffee High School in Douglas, Georgia. He coached there for 5 years as the varsity assistant and eventual associate head coach. In addition to baseball, he also coached football at Coffee Middle School and Coffee High School during that time. In 2022, Coach Thomas was recognized as one of the Georgia Dugout Club Assistant Coaches of the Year. In May of 2022, he was hired at Richmond Hill High School and for the first time in his career will be dubbed Head Baseball Coach! Thomas is also an Exceptional Student Services Teacher at RHHS. Richmond Hill’s Athletic Director, Stacy Bennett, says, “We are excited for Coach Thomas and the future of Richmond Hill Baseball. He and his staff have worked tirelessly over the summer and fall to develop our young men on and off the field. He is a huge asset in not only the Athletic Program, but in the school and community. Just to give you a snapshot of how “all in” he really is, he loaded a bus full of players and other athletes to drive them to the chorus concert in Savannah back in the fall. He gets connection, supporting others, and a team-first mindset. We are truly grateful for his leadership!”

Thomas says he enjoyed his time at Coffee High School so much that it was going to take a special place for him to leave. “While Richmond Hill is rapidly growing, it still has the “small town” feel, which is what my wife, Kennedie, and I grew up with, and something that we love! The administration is ambitious, supporting, loving and truly put their faculty at the forefront of their decision making,” says Thomas about his decision to accept the position. “I felt like this place would allow me to grow as a coach, a husband and a community leader.” Thomas says that creating an environment where his student athletes can aim for these same goals, and honor similar values and morals is a special place.

Coach Thomas and his wife Kennedie got married in June of 2022 and are very excited for this new  journey! He says it’s an honor that his family gets to call Richmond Hill home! The Wildcats who are coming off a 24-9 season will open up the 2023 season with a scrimmage game against Benedictine on February 7th. Will you be In the Crowd?

2023 Varisty/JV Baseball Schedule