Spotlighting Lincoln Athletes by Jersey Number- #17

With all of our sports currently shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Lincoln University Department of Athletics and its Media Relations Department will be highlighting some of our great athletes from our team sports, past and present over the next few weeks – based on the uniform number they wore for the majority of their career at Lincoln.  We continue with athletes who wore jersey #17

Marquise Hudson played two seasons of baseball for the Lions in 2010 and 2011.  He started in all 49 games he played. A contact, hit, he delivered 52 hits in his two seasons in a Lincoln uniform while hitting .313.  His batting average is ranked sixth among the all-time leaders in Lincoln history. Hudson drove in 13 runs his first year and was a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen bases.  He ranks among the Lions all-time top 15 in seven different categories.

Football player Rob Thomas III has been a regular in the defensive lineup for the Lions since his freshman year in 2017, appearing in 28 of Lincoln’s 30 games.  Playing in the defensive backfield, Thomas had an impressive start to his Lincoln career with 28 tackles over his first three games. This total included 12 at Lincoln of Missouri and 13 at Alderson-Broaddus.  He was among the Lions’ defensive leaders with 63 tackles his rookie season.  He had 26 tackles in nine games the following year and upped that number to 37 last season, including the 100th of his career.  He ranks 13th on the Lions all-time tackles list with 126.

Bria Garcia was a four-year women’s soccer player from 2015-18.  Primarily a defender, Garcia was a part of the Lions’ 2017 squad which won six games, the second highest win total in program history.  In all she started 57 games, equaling the most ever in program history.  She recorded an assist against Hollins in 2017 and added another vs. STAC in 2018. One of several women’s soccer players who have also distinguished themselves in the classroom, Garcia was a 2X D2ADA Academic Achievement Award  winner (2017-18, 2018-19) named to the ECAC Fall all-Academic Team in 2017 and the ECC Commissioner’s Academic honor roll in 2018.

The second football player on today’s list was a member of the Lions’ first team when the program was revived in 2008.  Aaron Thomas was a quarterback on the Lions during their first three seasons.  Over the three seasons he completed 63 passes for 580 yards and five touchdowns with a 46.3% completion rate. He ranks among the Lions top 15 all-time in five different statistical categories.  Thomas also played baseball, appearing in 49 games over two season.  He banged out 28 hits and drove in 14 runs, playing primarily as a catcher.

The third baseball player to appear on today’s list is a current member of the team, outfielder Jordan Rorer.  Rorer has appeared in 42 games over his 2+ seasons (the 2020 campaign was cut short by the pandemic).  Over those 42 games he recorded 21 hits, which included five doubles, a triple and a home run. The home run came in just hgis second game against the Lions.  A two-run shot in LU’s 12-5 win over Bloomfield College. He had a three-hit game against Bluefield College in February of 2019. Rorer has 17 RBI over the course of his career. 

Other athletes who wore  #17 (in no particular order): Steven Morris - Football (2010-13); Doug Cook - Baseball (2014); Tamara Greene - Women's Soccer (2013); Emily Woodruff - Women's Soccer (2012); Larquise Hobbs - football (2014)