Delta State University

Jud Thigpen played for the Statesmen from 2000-2004 under head coach Mike Kinnison. He helped guide the Statesmen to three NCAA Regional Championships (2001, 2002, 2004), three GSC Championships (2000, 2003, 2004), and was a member of the 2004 NCAA DII National Championship team.
 
In 2003, Thigpen was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-America Team, was a First Team All-South Region selection and was the GSC Tournament MVP. He started all 62 games and posted a .379 batting average with 76 RBIs.
 
In 2004, Thigpen helped lead the Statesmen to their first NCAA DII Championship in school history. He was named the NCAA Rawlings/ABCA National Division II Player of the Year after batting .429 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs and 80 RBIs. Thigpen also earned Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Defensive Player of the Year honors, after not committing an error during the entire season.