Sean Thompson Ready For New Challenge in Year One

By Ben Rekosh

VCU Baseball Head Coach Sean Thompson poses with Unique Pathways host Ben Rekosh following their conversation. Thompson will begin year one at his alma mater in 2025.

RICHMOND, Va. – Sean Thompson always knew that he wanted to be a head coach. He just did not realize that his dreams would become a reality before the time he was 30.

Several months into the 2024 offseason, one of the greatest pitchers in VCU history got the call that he would become the next head coach at his alma mater.

“For it to come full circle is something very special for me,” Thompson recently said on the Unique Pathways podcast.

As the youngest active head coach in Division I, he knew it would be vital to surround himself with the right type of people if he wanted to have any type of success. Thompson described himself as a sponge, noting the amount of knowledge he’s gathered at all levels of a game from the moment he first picked up a glove.

Coming off an Atlantic-10 conference title and an impressive showing at the Greenville Regional PLUS having had three players chosen in the MLB Draft, the Rams bring in 27 new student-athletes to a program with a first-year head coach at the helm.

However, the primary goal remains the same. Without hesitation, Thompson mentioned that he wanted to win another title when asked about targets for the 2025 season.

“[Winning championships] has always been what VCU's been about. Now it starts with a great process. We have to have a great process every single day…” Thompson said. “We weren't punting on this first year because things kind of happened late. We were going to build a roster that wanted to win a championship because when you're at the top, you know someone's going to knock you off.”

Impact of Baseball

Although nearly one-third of this season’s VCU roster are from the commonwealth of Virginia, there is no shortage of players from all over the globe… and that is no mistake on the part of the coaching staff.

Thompson sees it as a responsibility to use baseball to impact young men beyond the confines of a diamond. Diversity in background and upbringing is something that the staff focuses on when deciding who to recruit, Thompson commented.

For the players, a special type of locker room camaraderie is created with players from 15 different states all on the same team. For the coaches, they are able to impact the lives of different people from various parts of the country.

“I think that it's our job as coaches to always look at the bigger picture. It's not just about the game, it's about what we're teaching them – life lessons that are going to be both applicable on the field and off the field,” Thompson said.

Thompson spent four years pitching for VCU, earning the second-most wins in program history. Photo credit: VCU Athletics

Ready for the Task

A native of a small town about an hour outside of Pittsburgh, a young right-handed pitcher came to Richmond and made an immediate impact. Thompson pitched 5.1 innings in the biggest win in program history – a 3-1 victory over Dallas Baptist University to send his team to the NCAA super regionals – as part of a All-Conference Rookie Team season.

In his four seasons, Thompson earned the second-most win by a VCU pitcher and posted a 3.30 ERA in 300 innings pitched.

The switch flipped quickly for Thompson, who signed with the Chicago White Sox out of college. He felt incredibly fortunate to be able to play the sport that he loved and get paid for it, but he quickly realized that he was now in a cutthroat business.

Thompson always had aspirations of becoming a coach, but at some point, a lightbulb went off in his head: “In college I kind of had a moment where I was like ‘I don't think I'm going to work behind a desk ever.’”

During his playing days, Thompson had a moment of realization set in. His passion bubbled, and his innate competitiveness still existed. As his playing days started to drift away, those dreams of one day becoming a head coach started to grow.

Following a year as an assistant at Monmouth and a year as an assistant at Florida International, Thompson returned to VCU to coach under Bradley LeCroy. Following a coaching change, Vice President & Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin had a decision to make.

With a year back in Richmond under his belt, Thompson got the call from McLaughlin on Jul. 22, 2024 that he would be elevated to head coach. Overcome with emotion, Thompson got right to work.

Now, just days ahead of opening weekend, the Rams are ready to take the field in year one of the Sean Thompson Era.

“I wanted to be successful when I got to professional baseball,” Thompson said. “It was the same thing when I became a head coach. I didn't want to just become a head coach. I wanted to be a successful head coach.”

To listen to the full episode with VCU Baseball Head Coach Sean Thompson, subscribe to Unique Pathways presented by H3 Sports. Hosted by Ben Rekosh, it can be found on all major podcast platforms and Youtube. New episodes are available every Wednesday.

The VCU Rams will open the 2025 season at the College of Charleston Friday, Feb. 14th. They will be at The Diamond for the first time Feb. 28th to host the Central Virginia Classic.