Since graduating from Pacific in 2016, Michael Thomson has been around a lot of special teams, from USA Volleyball to major Division I athletics to professional baseball. 
 
But what he witnessed this spring while working with Coastal Carolina University baseball was truly exceptional.
 
"It was a ton of fun," Thomson said of the Chanticleers run to the College World Series finals, which included a 26-game winning streak.
 
"Winning that many games in a row is hard to imagine."
 
Coastal Carolina, the Sun Belt regular season and tournament champions, won a school record 56 games before falling to national champion LSU in the best-of-three finals on June 21 and 22.
 
"We definitely accomplished a lot," Thomson said. "The day-to-day with our players was great. They were a very hard-working group. Very coachable and held each other accountable. All of the things that are hallmarks of a really special team, they showed throughout the year. They made my life really enjoyable and really fun."
 
Thomson decided to pursue a career as a strength and conditioning coach after meeting with Kurt Komatsubara at the end of his junior year at Pacific. 
 
Komatsubara, a former Boxer baseball player and professor at Pacific, was the assistant sport performance coach at Oregon State.
 
"He was very open and honest about what it's like and what to expect," Thomson said. "I decided this is what I wanted to do."
 
After getting his master's degree from Long Beach State, Thomson worked at the University of Richmond (2018-19) and then Clemson (2021) before joining the Baltimore Orioles organization as a strength and conditioning coach, working with the Orioles' Rookie League in 2021, their High-A team in 2022, and then the Double-A team in 2023.
 
Thomson was named the 2021 Florida Coast League Strength Coach of the Year.
 
"It was a very good experience for me to have a more systematic approach to how we develop players," Thomson said of working in the Orioles organization. 
 
"That's a big focus in the minor leagues. When a player gets drafted, they have to develop physically to get called up and play at the major league level. That was a good experience to show me what the perspective had to be. That was big."
 
Thomson joined the Coastal Carolina athletics department as an assistant director of speed, strength and conditioning in February 2023, working directly with the baseball and golf programs.
 
"Being at a school that values and cares about baseball at the highest level like we do at Coastal while also having the ability go home every night was a good mix," Thomson said of returning to college athletics. 

"First job where I'm fully responsible and in charge of everything that goes on, strength training, conditioning, nutrition, all of those things. That was a good opportunity for me professionally to step out on my own and take full responsibility for those things."
 
Thomson was a catcher on the Pacific baseball team from 2013-2016 while earning his bachelor's degree in exercise science.
 
"Pacific is a great university to give student athletes the opportunity to continue to play," Thomson said. "I wasn't a crazy talented player but I loved playing the game. They have a really good exercise science program there with high quality facilities. It's a really good opportunity for both coaches and student athletes to continue to develop and get a lot out of their time. 
 
"I'm very grateful for my time there. I still talk to a lot of my former teammates. I'm really proud to have been there. I'm very appreciative of the professors and my coaches and teammates that were there during my time."