Lowndes High School Baseball Player Noah Thigpen Named ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month for March 2024
The March 2024 ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance, is Lowndes High School baseball standout Noah Thigpen. The senior is a right-handed pitcher and plays infield for the Vikings, and he played a big part in their 2023 Class 7A state championship win.
Through the first month of the 2024 season, Thigpen has led the Vikings on the mound as well as been one of the team’s biggest contributors at the plate.
“Noah is our No. 1 pitcher,” Lowndes head baseball coach Ryan Page said. “He has thrown 29 innings so far with a 4-1 record and has 28 strikeouts along with a 1.44 ERA.”
Thigpen has also been solid at the plate this year, Page said.
“Noah hits third in our lineup with a .375 average, and he has six doubles, one triple, and one home run,” Paige said. “Obviously, Noah is a big part of our offense and defense.”
When he’s not pitching, Thigpen plays first base.
“He has done a tremendous job there as well,” Page said.
“I am honored and blessed to be nominated for this award,” Thigpen said. “I would not be in this position if it weren’t for God, who gives me the ability to play this wonderful game. I’m thankful for my great teammates and my coaches who work day in and day out to put us in the best position for success.”
While Thigpen is having a great first month of the season this year, last year things were quite a bit different. Thigpen suffered an arm injury that sidelined him before the season had even started. He strained his UCL a few weeks before the regular season opener, which prevented him from taking the mound for much of the season. Thigpen was, however, able to hit in a designated hitter role, and he made the most of it. He was named the Region 1-7A Designated Hitter of the Year with a .365 batting average.
He returned to the mound during the final series of the regular season last year and throughout the state playoffs, and he did his best to make up for lost time. Thipen pitched 12 innings throughout the postseason as the team’s closer and was perfect with a 2-0 record, along with 3 for 3 in save opportunities. He had 15 strikeouts with an ERA of 1.750.
In the state championship series against Parkview, he went 3 for 5 at the plate for a .600 batting average with one RBI and one run scored.
He pitched three innings versus the Panthers, getting the win in Game 1 and a save in Game 2 while striking out four opposing batters in those two games. His pitching led Lowndes to the 2-0 sweep in the state championship best-of-three series.
Noah Thigpen is the son of Tommy and Alison Thigpen, and he has three younger sisters: Anslee, Alana, and Natalyn.
Following this final high school season at Lowndes, he will head off to Troy University on a baseball scholarship.
Congratulations to Noah Thigpen, the March 2024 ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance.
