THOMASVILLE — With the bases loaded and no outs against a nationally ranked baseball team, most high school pitchers would be a nervous wreck. Most would be happy to get out of the inning just allowing a run or two. But not Thomas County Central sophomore Reid Gainous.
When the Yellow Jackets met region opponent Houston County, a program currently ranked fourth in Georgia and No. 1 in class 6A, Gainous found himself in that exact situation: Taking the mound with the bases loaded and no outs.
The sophomore didn’t just get out of the inning, he pitched four scoreless innings, allowing the Bears just a single hit and struck out eight batters. Central went on to avoid a sweep and win that game 11-3.
His elite performance against Houston County, coupled with a .300 batting average in the same week, earned Gainous Pitcher of the Week honors from Prep Baseball Report, one of the largest independent scouting services in the United States.
With the recognition from such a prestigious platform, Gainous now finds himself as a sophomore in conversations with the best juniors and seniors in the country. “For him to be in the mix with those types of people as a sophomore shows you what he’s capable of doing,” said Central head baseball coach Ryan Strickland. “He’s a hitter as well. He’s a two-way player and he swings the bat well for us. This past week he was a double shy of the cycle in one game and he was like five for eight or something this past week. It was something crazy as well.”
All of this comes against high level competition from programs like Centennial and Walton, who currently have players who are committed to top programs like Clemson, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Both games pitted Gainous against collegiate level talent as a bevy scouts watched on. Gainous stood up to the competition well and showed what he is capable of achieving.