MILWAUKEE — Connor Thomas has made it. The Tift County high  alumnus starts the 2025 baseball season on a Major League roster.  Thomas will make his debut with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Thomas will wear No. 57 with the Brew Crew, whose opening day was Thursday at Yankee Stadium.

The St. Louis Cardinals picked Thomas in the fifth round of the 2019 MLB draft out of Georgia Tech. He’d been on the edge of making big league roster for several seasons.

Thomas spent 2019 in ‘A’ ball. The 2020 minor league season was canceled because of coronavirus. From 2021-2024, Thomas played games in AAA in each year, but couldn’t quite crack the big Cardinals.

Milwaukee selected Thomas in the Rule 5 Draft on December 11, 2024.

Thomas proved his worth in spring training. He threw 11.1 innings, second most of any Milwaukee pitcher. In that span, he had an ERA of 2.38 and struck out 11 hitters. The Brewers gave him a shot as a starter and reliever — Thomas had one start and recorded two holds in five appearances.

Thomas is the first former Tift County High player to make it to the Major Leagues.