Thomas wants CVCC players to enjoy trip to JUCO World Series

Make no mistake about it, Chattahoochee Valley Community College baseball coach Adam Thomas wants to win the JUCO World Series.

But he also wants everyone in the program to enjoy the experience of going to Grand Junction, Colo.

Thomas and his No. 1-ranked Pirates traveled to Grand Junction on Tuesday and was set to arrive about midnight. CVCC’s first game is against Harford (Md.) at 2 p.m. Saturday.

This is the third straight season Thomas has led CVCC to the JUCO world series.

“That first year I was so stressed, and I lost so much weight just from nerves of going to the world series,” Thomas said. “But also I didn’t know what the heck I was supposed to be doing.

“I was able to enjoy it last year a lot more. This year, obviously, I hope we win. But I expect to enjoy the experience in full this time.”

Thomas plans to go the top of the mountains that surround Grand Junction. He also plans to go horse back riding on top of the Grand Mesa.

Thomas also has plans for the team to have a go-kart race. He said there would be 10 teams of four people each racing for an hour.

“That sounds like Panama City,” Thomas said. “That sounds like going to the beach, but it will be a lot of fun.”

Early arrival

The first year Thomas took his team to Grand Junction the team went on Wednesday. He learned a valuable lesson about the thin air, so last year he went on Tuesday as the team did this year.

“People were having trouble breathing,” Thomas said of the 2014 trip. “So after that first year, I said we are going out there as early as our administration will allow it. It took me three days to get used to it.

“There will be at least a dozen guys who will be sucking air hard. We are not a big conditioning team as far as running a lot. But we are going to do some sprint running out there to get those lungs expanded.”

Knowing what to expect

With this being Thomas’ third straight trip to Grand Junction, he knows how to plan and what to expect.

“That has become a lot easier,” he said. “But on that note, I need to give credit to my administration on logistics. We have all figured it out together. It has become much, much easier.

“But now I know what the schedule is like out there. I know what to expect. There are no surprises. It is almost like going on a road trip to Andulusia (Ala.) in April is like. We know what it is supposed to be like.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Thomas wants CVCC players to enjoy trip to JUCO World Series."