You could say Townsen Thomas, a speedy outfielder with the Texas Blaze 16U United team, got an early jump in becoming a three-sport athlete.
The freshman at Episcopal (Belaire, Texas) High started t-ball at the tender age of three and began running track in the first grade thanks to an uncle who was a track coach. Today, she’s also a varsity basketball player with quite an accomplished sports resume.
Townsen was ranked #12 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100 published in September, 2020 and has had similarly impressive success staring in the Jr. Olympics for the Pearland Track Express AAU Track Club.
As both sports take place in the same season, her biggest accomplishment may be how she’s been able to successfully balance both at an elite level!
Still, her ceiling in softball is limitless and JB Slimp, the President of the Texas Blaze organization, predicts: “This kid will be able to play anywhere in the country she chooses. She is that good.”
On the diamond, the talented athlete debuted on the national scene in the inaugural 10U PGF National Championship Tourney in 2015. As an 8-year-old, she helped lead her Texas Chaos squad to the finals and a runner-up finish to the Diamond Sports Hotshots-Nelson team.
Townsen returned to the PGF Championship game a year later (2016) as the leadoff hitter for Texas Intensity 05 and captured another 2nd place finish, losing only in the championship game to Tennessee Mojo. Her numbers were impressive: a .524 batting average with a .643 on-base percentage and 10 steals.
In 2018, her Texas Intensity team had another great finish at PGF in the 12U Premier division, placing 3rd and taking losses to the two teams that played for the championship. Townsen once again did great individually, hitting .452 with a .536 OBP along with 11 steals.
At 12 years old, she also had an Allister Index score of 85.6 while being clocked electronically at 2.7s in the 20-yard-dash at an On Deck Event.
Last year (2019), she really attracted national attention with a .615 batting average with five doubles and 10 steals at the Triple Crown Sparkler Jr. Nationals.
On the track side, she has participated in the last two AAU Jr Olympic National Championship Track and Field meets placing 9th overall in the 12-year-old girls 100-meter hurdles in 2018, missing out on the finals by a tightly contested photo finish.
Last year in 2019, Townsen was unable to attend PGF Nationals with her team that she helped earn a bid by winning the North Texas 14U PGF qualifier in April because she was ranked 5th in the triple jump and 9th in the 100-meter hurdles nationally after the regional qualifiers track meet in Webster, Texas.
With her great all-around athletic abilities, the Texan also shines in the pentathlon, which consists of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, 800-meters and shot put.
As great as she is in track, though, Townsen says she’s leaning to playing softball at the next level.
“Right now,” she begins, “I’m handling all three (softball, track and basketball) but once I get past high school probably focus on softball for college and try to do track if they’ll let me.”
For the Blaze United team this summer, she used her 2.61 home-to-first slapping speed to record 61 steals in 62 attempts and hit .543 in 140 at-bats with a stellar on-base percentage of .634.
The Texan also had a very productive defensive season as the coaches allowed her to play all three outfield positions. Townsen made several spectacular diving and sliding catches taking hits away from opposing players and showed her arm strength with four assists nailing runners trying to advance on balls hit to her in the outfield.
This fall in 23 games, she had 63 plate appearances and hit .614 with a .635 OBP. She showed her power with five home runs and eight triples and, not surprisingly, led the team with 22 steals as well as a .688 batting average with runners in scoring position.
Townsen also has impressed with her work ethic to reach the level of success she’s had as a 14-year-old (her birthday is Sept. 1 and she missed being a 2025 by a matter of a few hours).
The athlete lives an hour away from school so she dutifully wakes up at 5:30 am each weekday, leaves the house at 6:20 to make it for her strength and conditioning class first period and then after school heads to a workout for school or with her track trainer.
Some days, she’ll get in workouts for both track and softball.
The freshman typically climbs into bed at 10:30 to 11 pm after completing homework following her practices and/or workouts and quickly falls asleep, ready to do it all again the next morning.
Caitlyn Cain, who coaches some of the top teams in the Texas Blaze organization, is also the program’s Director of Player Development, and predicts a very bright future for Townsen between the lines, comparing her former Blaze standouts like Rylee Trilcek, currently at Florida, Taylor Thom (Texas and later the Dallas Charge in the NFP) and Blaire Luna (Texas), USSSA Pride), all of whom have all played for Team USA.
“I have been around this game a long time and three Blaze kids have been fortunate enough to be a part of USA National Teams so I understand what Olympic talent looks like. We have one now in Townsen and I believe she’s the top 2024 in country in terms of athleticism and on-the-dirt talent. This kid is real deal and maybe the best offensive player to ever come thru the Blaze.”
The coach also believes the athlete has the mental tools to shine at a high level in addition to her finely-tuned physical skills.
“One of my favorite memories of Townsen happened this past summer,” Caitlyn begins.
“We were down by one run in the bottom of the last inning with time expired. She stepped up to the plate with two outs and runners on second and third. I called time and approached Townsen to ask her what her plan was.”
“She told me that she noticed the center fielder was playing in left center, and she felt she could place the ball in center field with a power slap. On the very next pitch, she drove a line drive to center field that one hopped the fence and scored both runs! It was an exciting walk-off!”
“I love how hard Townsen works to understand the game, the Blaze leader says. “Her high softball IQ combined with her tremendous abilities makes her a very well-rounded player and one of the top athletes in the 2024 class.”
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
*** Scroll down to hear from Townsen about her favorite experience on the field plus what she sees as the biggest difference between track and softball for her…
