LAGRANGE – Former Callaway Cavalier Tavin Thompson, who is coming off an exceptional junior season on the LaGrange College baseball team, is spending his summer in Colorado.

Thompson, along with LaGrange College teammates Blake Butcher and Blane Swift, is playing for the Summit Extreme Black Diamonds, who are a part of the six-team Mountain West Summer Collegiate Baseball League.

The team kicked off its schedule last week with three games, and it will play three more games this week.

The regular season ends on July 9, and the league’s postseason tournament will follow.

It’s the second straight year LaGrange College has been represented on the team.

Last summer, Cain Sauls, Chad Pigg, Grant Perry and Stephen Coehlo all played for the Black Diamonds.

Thompson, Butcher and Swift are all coming off stellar seasons for a LaGrange College team that finished with a 30-13 record.

Thompson transferred to LaGrange College from Darton College in Albany, and he settled right in and had a phenomenal spring.

Thompson, like Butcher and Swift, started all 43 games last season, and he put up spectacular numbers.

Thompson had a .370 batting average, which was second on the team to Butcher in that category, and he walked 31 times and had an on-base percentage of .497, which was tops on the team.

Thompson led the team with 49 runs scored and 18 stolen bases, and he also drove in 20 runs.

Butcher was the USA South player of the year.

Butcher led the Panthers in batting average (.399), doubles (18), home runs (seven), RBIs (44), slugging percentage (.659) and hits (69).

Swift, in an indication of how strong LaGrange College’s lineup was, had the eighth lowest batting average among the every-day players, and he still hit .301.

Swift drove in 24 runs and was 13-of-16 on stolen-base attempts, and he led the team with seven triples.

Thompson, Butcher and Swift will all return to anchor next season’s LaGrange College team.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports