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Former Auburn star Frank Thomas became the first former Southeastern Conference baseball player to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the Class of 2014 was announced Wednesday.

Thomas joins former Atlanta Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine as the three first-ballot inductees into the Hall of Fame this summer. Also earning selection this year were former big-league managers Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa. The induction ceremony will take place July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“The Big Hurt” appeared on 483 of 571 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, earning 83.7 percent of the vote, well clear of the 75-percent minimum required for election. Maddux received 97.2 percent of the vote and Glavine earned 91.9 percent.

Thomas played at Auburn from 1987-89 under coach Hal Baird and was Auburn's first consensus All-America selection in 1989. During his All-American season, he hit a SEC-best .403 while manning first base. He also drove in 83 runs and hit 19 home runs as the Tigers won the SEC Tournament and advanced to the Atlantic Regional. He finished his Auburn career with a .382 batting average before being drafted seventh overall by the White Sox in the 1989 MLB Draft.