St. James grad, former Auburn pitcher on Barons roster

Taylor Thompson, a 2006 St. James graduate who played at Auburn, will be an enemy this week at Riverwalk Stadium.

Thompson is with the Birmingham Barons this year and the Barons start the season Thursday at the Biscuits. The right-hander was the Class 4A player of the year as a senior in 2006 for the state champion Trojans.

The 25-year-old had a 2.44 ERA in 44 1/3 innings last year at high-Class A Winston-Salem. Thompson was a 44th-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2009.