RAPID CITY - Now in his sixth year of professional baseball, Ben Thomas is still hoping for the call, but he's also looking at the big picture.

The Rapid City native, an alumnus of Central High School and Post 22 American Legion baseball, has put up solid numbers as he starts a second full season with the St. Paul Saints.

"Obviously, I'm trying for the major leagues," Thomas, 25, said. "That's still a dream to get up there."

For now, Thomas is taking it one dream at a time.

The 6-feet, 200-pound third-baseman has led the American Association with 31 sacrifice hits over the past two years, including 19 during the 2006 season when he played for the St. Joe Blacksnakes.

Last year, he batted .333 in the playoffs and championship series as the Saints came within one game of the league title for the second consecutive year.

"We've got a lot of guys who have been on those teams and are hungry for a championship," he said.

"I haven't won a championship since back in high school with Post 22 winning state tournaments," he said. "That's what I'm focused on right now, and if something happens, it happens."

"I'm just enjoying the game, enjoying baseball and playing at a high level in front of 7,000 fans," he said.

The Saints are off to a 4-0 start going into Tuesday night's matchup at Sioux City.

Thomas's two-run single helped the Saints to a 10-3 win over the Grand Prairie Airhogs last Thursday, and he is currently battling .250 after the Saints completed a double-header sweep of the Airhogs on Sunday.

"I've always considered myself an all-around player. I'm not going to be the guy that hits the most home runs or steals the most bases," he said.

"I've always considered myself a defensive player. If I don't have a great day at the plate, then I want to help win the game in the field," he said.

Thomas was a third baseman and pitcher for Post 22. In his final year with the Hardhats, Thomas batted .452, with 15 homers, 34 doubles, and a 0.00 ERA in nine appearances.

"One thing they do have in Rapid City is great coaching, and great tradition and a great facility in Fitzgerald Stadium," Thomas said. "The bus rides and playing against great competition in the Firecracker Tournament and traveling to Omaha and Minneapolis to play in those tournaments, got me ready for college and the professional ranks."

He opened his college career at Midland Junior College in Texas and later transferred to Mississippi.

He was drafted by Atlanta after his sophomore year and played three years in the Braves' organization before moving to St. Joe of the American Association in 2006.

Thomas is enjoying being a part of the Saints.

"You're always going to have a great team on the field. They've had no shortage of good players come through here, Darryl Strawberry, J.D. Drew and Kevin Millar," he said.

"The atmosphere alone will attract some good players, and then it's just a matter of performing on the field.

Thomas said he rarely gets a chance to return to Rapid City, but he'll set foot in his home state this weekend when the Saints travel to Sioux Falls for a three-game set against the Canaries.

"It's always a lot fun to go play in Sioux Falls. I'll have about 20 or 30 family members watching me," he said.

Thomas and his wife Katy, a fourth-grade teacher, live in San Antonio, Texas. Thomas is taking classes toward a degree in fitness and business management at Texas State University.

"I really like the opportunity to be outside year-round," he said. "I can get outside and take ground balls in the middle of January and February."

That's in case one dream comes true. His pursuit of a degree is done with an eye on another future.

"You can't play baseball forever, so I'm trying to get stuff lined up for down the road," he said.