Biography
SUMMER 2016
After leading the 2016 National Champions with 21 home runs, Gomez kept mashing throughout the summer in the Northwoods League, with six homers for the Kalamazoo Growlers, second on his team, in just 35 games. Among all players in the league with at least 100 at bats, Gomez was 11th in games per home run (5.83) and 13th in at bats per home run (20.83). His first homer was on June 21st, his fourth game of the season, but his best game was on July 15th, when, in support of his teammate, starter Devin Pellien, he hit two home runs in an eight-run second inning, a solo shot to lead off and a three-run homer as the inning's last run. It was his second game that month with four hits and four RBI. His first was on July 1st, when he had a season-high two doubles, his first two of the season. Playing in 12 games in the first half of July, he had two or more hits in six of them, hitting .375 with a .646 slugging during this time. Defensively, Gomez made 21 of his 32 starts in the outfield, and held a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage for his first 16 games and 136 innings in the field, finishing the season with just one error in 186 innings in the outfield.
AS A JUNIOR (2016)
One of just two players to play and start all 60 games for the NCAA Division II National Champion Sharks, with six in right field and 54 as the designated hitter… Led the team in several offensive categories, including hits (80), runs scored (58), runs batted in (75), home runs (21), slugging percentage (.688) and, perhaps most surprisingly, triples (3)… Started the season with an RBI in each of the first five games, despite a slow start, with an average of just .167… Heated up quickly, with a four-game multi-hit streak, tied for the longest on the team, from the second game of a double-header at Alabama-Huntsville on Feb. 6 through the first game of a double-header against Tuskegee on Feb. 20, to raise his batting average from . .136 to ..361… Hit his first home run as a Shark on Feb. 19, in the first game of a three-game sweep of Tuskegee, a three-hit game with three RBI… Homered in each game of the Tuskegee series, with another three-hit game in which he was a triple shy of the cycle with a season-high three runs scored in the first game of the double-header… Homered for the fourth straight game to tie the program record, also hitting two home runs in a game for the first time on Feb. 26 at Flagler… Was a double shy of the cycle with three RBI on Mar. 19 in a 7-4 win at No. 1 Tampa, to secure a Sharks’ series victory over the defending national champion Spartans for the second year in a row… Drove in four runs in both games of a double-header at Barry on Apr. 2, with three home runs on the day to help the Sharks to the program’s first-ever sweep of the Buccaneers… Drove in four runs for the third time in a week, and was again a triple shy of the cycle, in a 6-4 victory at Palm Beach Atlantic, followed by being a home run shy of the cycle in the first game of the next day’s double-header, a 4-3 win… Drove in a career-high five runs, for a total of 20 RBI over the eight previous games, in an 11-7 victory against Rollins, with his first of seven home runs over the next ten games… Collected a career-high four hits in a 12-1 win over Lander on May 31 in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, with two runs scored and two driven in… Hit a game-tying home run in the fourth inning of the Sharks’ first game of the national championship series against Millersville, a 2-1 victory on June 3… Finished the season with a .333 batting average, a .386 on-base percentage and 16 doubles.
PREVIOUS SCHOOL
Attended Florida International University in Miami, Fla. for the 2013-14 season, playing for Head Coach Turtle Thomas, and alongside current Sharks teammates Antonio Rodriguez and Dillon Maya, a fellow member of the 2015 recruiting class… Started 38 of the 46 games he appeared in for the Panthers… Hit .320 for the season, with eight doubles, 16 RBI and 27 walks… His .445 on-base percentage was the highest on the team, minimum 100 plate appearances. Had a 15-game hitting streak, lasting a month from February 25 until March 25… Season-high four hits at South Florida (3/12)… Season-high three RBI at Bethune-Cookman (3/5)… Season-high three runs scored vs. Dartmouth (2/28)… Hit the first home run of his career vs. Saint Peter’s (4/25)… Doubled in three consecutive game against Charlotte, South Florida and Rice (3/9-3/14)… Drew two walks in three consecutive games against Marshall and South Florida (3/22-3/25)… Attended Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Fla. for the 2014-15 season, where he played for Head Coach Jeff Tam… Played in 45 games and started 42 for the Titans… Collected seven doubles and nine homers, while he drove in 39 runs and scored 28… Slugged .491 for the season.
HIGH SCHOOL
Four-year letterwinner for the Spartans at Monsignor Pace HS in Miami, Fla., where he played for Tom Duffin, who won the HSBN District Coach of the Year award in 2012 and 2013… High school teammates with current Sharks starter Alex Mateo… Led the Spartans to back-to-back district and regional championships in 2012 and 2013, and to the state Final Four in 2012, with a 22-8 record… First Team All-County outfielder by the Miami Herald and HSBN in 2013, in addition to a Perfect Game Florida All-Region Honorable Mention and the HSBN District Player of the Year, after hitting .400 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI… Perfect Game Underclass Honorable Mention in 2011 and 2012.
PERSONAL
Born in Hialeah, Fla.… Criminal justice major with a minor in business… Son of Rafael Gomez and Gisela Munoz… Has one sibling, Tracy… Favorite food is Cuban…Favorite movie is Grown Ups… Favorite actress is Scarlett Johannson… Favorite athlete is Kole Kalhoun… Favorite historical person is Louis Chevrolet… Favorite vacation spot is California… Favorite team is the Miami Marlins… Hobbies include cars and working out.
