TARLETON BOUND: San Marcos rising senior pitcher Gavin Gomez commits to Texans

If you told Gavin Gomez a year ago he’d be heading into his senior season with an NCAA Division I baseball scholarship, he wouldn’t have believed you.

The right-handed pitcher and outfielder had a breakout junior season for the Rattlers in 2022, earning his spot in the rotation and eventually being named District 26-6A’s Pitcher of the Year off the back of a 4-1 record, 35 strikeouts and a 0.72 ERA in 38.2 innings. Gomez’s impressive season in one of the toughest districts in all of 6A Texas high school baseball led to a lot of exposure and contact from college coaches, but Gomez needed to stay consistent throughout select summer ball to make his dreams come true.

Gomez, an incoming senior, continued to produce at summer events like Prep Baseball Report’s DFW prospect showcase, the 17U WWBA South Championship and more, leading up to the week of June 27 — when Gomez took his first official visit to Tarleton State University. The next weekend, Gomez committed to the Texans.

“I love Tarleton. I went up to campus for an official visit about three weeks ago. I absolutely love (the coaching staff). The relationship I built with every single one of them is unimaginable. Each one took me in as one of (their own) even though I’d just met them,” Gomez said. “I loved how they believed in me and they gave me the chance to go for a two-way (being able to pitch and play in the field), which was a really big goal of mine. They just brought me in and kept up with me and (in comparison to other schools) Tarleton was always up to date to me. (Assistant coach Dallas) Reid was the coach that I first came in contact with and I’ve loved him since, he’s been a great guy, he’s a great coach and I love the relationship I’ve built with him. The campus is amazing, and it just feels like home when I’m there.”

Gomez’s rise wasn’t manufactured out of nowhere, though. It was a process that began last summer when Gomez anticipated his growth spurt.

“Last summer at this time, I was nowhere where I am now. I was about 5-foot-8, 130 pounds, and now I’m about 6-foot, 175 pounds, so I’ve come a long way. It’s been a lot of hard work, and last summer was kind of my turning point. I was determined to get bigger and stronger because I knew I was gonna start growing. So the biggest thing for me was to make my dreams come true,” Gomez said. “I knew it wasn’t gonna be handed to me because I go to San Marcos. I know a lot of people overlook San Marcos athletes, which is annoying at times, but that is what makes us want to work even harder. I love being doubted because I get to prove a lot of people wrong, and I think I proved a lot of people wrong after this.

“I did not think last summer I was gonna be a D1 athlete, honestly, because I never had the confidence (until) last summer,” Gomez added. “I was always talked down to because of my size and I go to San Marcos. So I think pushing that noise away and closing out all the outside voices really helped me a lot (in) becoming where I am now.”

Despite summer ball’s invaluable impact when it comes to exposure, one of the biggest keys to Gomez’s success is something right at home in San Marcos — pitching coach Trey Davis. Head coach Bryan Webb has said before he’s never had a pitching coach as meticulous and detailed as Davis, and it’s something that’s paid huge dividends in Gomez’s development.

“He’s helped a lot (from) freshman year to now. I wouldn’t even imagine (myself) hitting lower 90s (mph). Like, that was of course a dream, but I never thought that was the reality because of my size. But Coach Davis is the best pitching coach I’ve ever had,” Gomez said. “The confidence he brings to you and how he believes in you is (something) we take personal, and we love that about him. He’s straight up with us. He doesn’t lie to us. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. My mechanics were god-awful freshman year, and he’s helped me (improve immensely) the past two years and going into my senior year. He keeps pushing me. He hasn’t (treated) me different since I committed, which I love.

“Holding me accountable was one of the biggest things he had for me, not letting me slack on anything, even in the weight room when he would see me take a little break,” Gomez added. “He would get on me because he wanted the best for me and at the end of the day just wants me to succeed (in) my goals.”

Although Gomez’s college decision might be decided and taken care of, Gomez’s final season with the Rattlers is waiting in the wings. The senior will be a key part of the purple and white’s ambitions for a deep playoff run, and will look to simultaneously stifle opponents’ batting averages and drive in runs for San Marcos along the way.

“Some goals (for this season) are of course getting new (personal records) on the mound and just being a better teammate. Contributing as best as I can so we can make a state championship run and just keep putting in more work even though I’m committed,” Gomez said. “(Just committing) doesn’t satisfy me. I want to be even better and help my little brother because he’s an incoming freshman and I just want to get through to him that he’s a bigger, better athlete than me. I just want to get that through him because I know he could succeed and (become) really good. So just being a better teammate and being an (example) to look up to for the young ones.”