Drew Thomas

Biography

Drew Thomas joined the UCF baseball staff in June 2023 as the pitching coach. As the Knights’ pitching coach, Thomas has made an immediate impact by helping the staff lower its team ERA by more than a run and half—from 5.80 in 2023 to 4.29 in 2025. The 4.29 ERA not only led the Big 12 Conference but also ranked 19th nationally. Thomas also guided the pitching staff to a 1.30 WHIP, the best mark in the Big 12 and the 16th-best in the country, underscoring his ability to elevate the staff into one of the nation’s top-performing units. In his first season of coaching at UCF, Thomas helped lead the Knights to a 37-21 overall record and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 with a trip to the 2024 NCAA Tallahassee Regional. Thomas also helped UCF win six Big 12 Conference series in the program's first year in the league to finish eighth with a 14-15 conference mark, as well as to a deep run at the 2024 Big 12 Championship by going 2-1 and reaching the semifinal round. The UCF pitching coach has helped see a total of seven Knights drafted in the MLB Draft over his first two seasons with a pair getting drafted in 2024 (RHP Najer Victor, Angels, 14th Rd.; RHP Chase Centala, Marlins, 20th Rd.) and five drafted in 2025 (SS Antonio Jimenez, Mets, 3rd Rd.; C Edian Espinal, Tigers, 10th Rd.; RHP Alex Galvan, Diamondbacks, 13th Rd.; C Dylan King, Reds, 17th Rd.; RHP Angelo Smith, Angels, 18th Rd.). Of the seven, four have been pitchers. He has also helped see a pair of