Thompson Reaches Milestone

Don't touch Anna Thompson's balls.

The senior pitcher for the softball team said someone touching the ball before she gets to the mound is her biggest superstition.

This weekend, No. 8 Alabama may have swept the series, but Thompson struck out her 1,000 career batter.

"I'm glad I was blessed to have a talent where I could actually do that, but this is a team sport," Thompson said. "Everything I do when I go out there is for the team and it's doing my job, so if I got that many strike outs, I've been doing something right."

Thompson is just the eighth player in SEC history to reach the millennium mark.

Coach Tina Deese said the achievement came as no surprise to her, since Thompson had to jump into a leadership role early.

"We knew when she stepped foot on the field that there was something special about her, that she was probably going to draw those numbers, just because she came out with a bang in her freshman year," Deese said. "We lost a pitcher that year, so she was put in a position where she had to start several games and she really stepped up."

Thompson already held the career strikeout record for Auburn when she hit 796. She also holds the record for most strikeouts in a game, 18, which she recorded against Middle Tennessee in 2009.

The senior said she started playing softball when she moved across town and didn't have many friends.

"It was the middle of the summer, so my dad signed me up for softball to meet some new people," Thompson said. "It was over that summer we realized I had an affinity for the sport and then eventually figured out I could pitch."

In high school, Thompson set a state and national record with 2,322 strikeouts. She also set a state record for strikeouts in a single season with 657 in 2006, breaking the record she previously held.

She was named Gatorade Player of the Year for Alabama in 2005 and 2006.

Deese said she has enjoyed watching Thompson grow as an athlete, since the SEC is a tough conference for pitchers.

"It's a hitter's conference and you really do have to have a mature head on your shoulders," Deese said. "There are as many kids with as much talent probably, but what's between your ears makes a big difference."

Thompson has taken home many honors over the years, including SEC Freshman of the Week, SEC All-Freshman Team and second-team All-SEC 2008

As of last season, Thompson ranks first in batting average against, .179, fourth in wins, 42, third in appearances, 111, third in complete games, 43, third in innings pitched, 545.2, fourth in shutouts, 12, and first in strikeouts per seven innings, 10.2.

"I feel honored to be in the Auburn record books with a lot of absolutely wonderful athletes before me," Thompson said. "I got the honor of playing with people like Holly Curry who really set a great example my freshman year, and I hope in some way I'm living up to what her expectations were for me."

Deese said Thompson was born with leadership tendencies.

"She came in with that, you know it wasn't something that I had to teach her or I had to work with her on," Deese said. "She comes by it naturally which is kind of strange."

The pitcher excels in the classroom as well as on the field, pursuing a double major in accounting and finance. Last year, she was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team.

Deese said she has enjoyed working with Thompson and has enjoyed all of their time together.

"She's always come through and she's always been there for her teammates," Deese said. "She's really worn the blue and orange with a lot of pride."

As a senior, Thompson said this season reminds her that she is about to end a part of her life that has lasted 14 years.

"There are parts of me that are saying my body's breaking down a little bit and it's time to be done," Thompson said. "Still in my heart, it's hard to say goodbye to it."