THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 12, 1995 TAG: 9507120508
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Against Hampton Roads' best pitchers, Granby High's Frank Thompson couldn't miss, a .500 hitter his junior and senior years.
But up against Division I coaches, the lefthanded slugger couldn't get to first base.
Instead, he will take his cuts for Division II Longwood College, thanks in large part to a $2,000 scholarship from the Norfolk Sports Club. The club will award 21 such scholarships for academic and athletic achievement tonight at its annual banquet at the Holiday Inn on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach.
Thompson is a recipient of the recently established William Litton scholarship, awarded annually to a baseball player.
``Money-wise, I would not be able to go without it,'' said Thompson, a soft-spoken, almost shy kid with a mass of brown hair and circular spectacles. ``I applied for four or five scholarships, mostly academic. I was really happy to win this one.''
Thompson, who had a 3.2 grade-point average at Granby, plans to study business and finance at Longwood while continuing a baseball career that dates back to T-ball as a 5-year-old. The southpaw, who prefers hitting to pitching, comes by his talent naturally; his dad, Frank Sr., was a lefty pitcher for Old Dominion in the early '70s.
``I usually go up to the high school and my dad throws to me; we work together,'' said Thompson, who is spending his summer playing for the American Legion Post 327 and Little Creek Palomino teams while juggling jobs, one at Wards Corner Sporting Goods and one with a brick mason.
A four-year varsity starter at Granby, Thompson batted .500 as a junior and freshman season and was named Granby's MVP in '94. Comets coach Vince Zebro calls him ``one of the finest players I've coached in my 16-year career.''
Academically, Thompson finished 23rd out of a class of 229 while maintaining an A average in his business classes.
Despite his high school success, the Granby cleanup hitter struck out trying to earn a baseball scholarship at a Division I school.
``Everybody thought I was too slow,'' he said, ``and that's what killed me with Old Dominion. They said I was too slow. It's also me not giving attention to schools I should have. It's like hit or miss.
``I've always wanted to go to ODU, but it just didn't work out with them.''
Scouts from Virginia Commonwealth also watched a nervous Thompson pitch in a Granby game, but they only stayed three innings after seeing a shaky outing.
``Frank's not the kind of guy who throws in the 90s,'' said Palomino coach Steve Siderias. ``He's the kind of guy who beats the guy who throws in the 90s.''
Thompson, also an outfielder and first baseman, could have walked on at Old Dominion, but that wouldn't have helped him foot the tuition bill. His parents are divorced, and his mom works two jobs.
``My parents told me a long time ago I would have to excel in academics and sports if I wanted to attend college,'' he wrote on his application to the Norfolk Sports Club.
Thompson's goal is to make the most out of playing for Longwood.
``I think I'm good enough to play for almost any Division I school,'' he said. ``But I might not be able to contribute my first couple years.
``So maybe, in a way, this is better.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
L. TODD SPENCER
Frank Thompson, a recent Granby grad, is among 21 athletes to be
honored tonight by the Norfolk Sports Club.
by CNB