Dario Gomez’s passion has created him Nevada’s spark plug

Dario Gomez’s route to Division I baseball was not uncomplicated, but he wouldn’t trade his journey to the Wolf Pack for a smoother journey.

Just after a standout profession at Flexibility Significant College in Oakley, Calif., Gomez had to choose the junior-college path to the best of college or university baseball, commencing his put up-superior college profession at San Joaquin Delta College.

“I realized a large amount there,” Gomez stated. “When I received there, I was not meant to engage in at all. I indicate, my techniques have been nowhere in the vicinity of any of people fellas. and I just figured out from really hard perform and perseverance. I just adapted to my natural environment and I was able to come by means of. And I feel that is the position in which I discovered the most on and off the subject. And the greatest element would be the psychological match.”

Following paying two yrs at San Joaquin Delta College, Gomez transferred to the Most important Small Metropolis and sales opportunities the Wolf Pack in almost every offensive stat in his first season in silver and blue. Head mentor T.J. Bruce mentioned you can hardly ever be guaranteed what you’ll get from junior-university gamers presented the jump in competition, but Gomez has proven to be a hidden gem.

“Dario’s a winner,” Bruce mentioned. “I signify, if you go again to his higher school, you go back again to Delta the place he’s from, he’s finished absolutely nothing but win and he’s accomplished absolutely nothing but produce. So we’ve envisioned massive things, but like I claimed I really do not think you at any time count on the commence he’s gotten off much too, but I’m not surprised just purely on his perform. He comes from a great loved ones and fantastic applications. He’s been about good coaches and he’s a fantastic participant and he’s hard. I consider that’s one issue that gets overlooked these days is the toughness of a player, and he surely has that.”

Gomez’s two seasons at San Joaquin Delta Higher education were effective. More than two seasons (a person remaining shortened because of to the pandemic), Gomez slashed .368/.438/.449 with 40 steals in 49 games. Throughout the COVID-shortened 2020 year, he strike .409 with 36 operates, 21 RBIs and 28 steals, huge figures thinking of he played only 21 game titles ahead of the season was canceled.

“My suggestions would be just to function as really hard as you can and just go away everything you have out on the industry, and if you will find anything you can do to get far better, do it,” Gomez explained. “You never ever want to look back again and say, ‘What could have been,’ so just get the job done as really hard as you can and if you make it, you make it. If you really don’t, you really don’t. But at the very least you glance back declaring you gave it all.”

Presented how transformative his expertise at junior faculty was, Gomez said he has no regrets building a quit there prior to obtaining to the Division I stage. The redshirt sophomore claimed actively playing junior faculty ball is underestimated. He’s grateful that level was obtainable to him.

“I was 4 years previous when I started enjoying and I would say correct about higher school is when I started off to know I actually loved the sport,” Gomez stated. “Which is when you start out putting in the work and you see results and it gets to be an addiction. You just want to hold performing it extra and a lot more.”

Gomez split time involving Las Vegas and Oakley developing up. Even though heading back again-and-forth between states can be challenging on a spouse and children or baby, Gomez stated his parents created him snug as a result of it all.

“My dad and mom, you know, they were seriously terrific at making certain that we felt at house either way,” Gomez said. “I would say I felt actually connected anywhere I was, and my mom and dad did a really great position of performing that.”

Dario was the youngest of three boys escalating up with him and his more mature brothers, Domenic and Damien, each and every currently being three decades aside.

“I attempt to stay in touch as a great deal as possible,” Gomez reported. “We are all variety of divided all in excess of. But we get alongside one another just about every main holiday break any time we can. You know, we like to go golfing all the time. So that is a thing that bonds us.”

Gomez’s target is on finding to that following stage of baseball, the skilled degree. Supplied how he is starting off his Nevada career, which is not an outlandish target. The 5-foot-10 outfielder is hitting .409 with a 1.172 OPS by way of his initially 11 games. He also prospects Nevada in doubles (four), triples (one), homers (a few), RBIs (eight), runs scored (nine), hits (18) and steals (4).

“My final intention is to go to the MLB and participate in as prolonged as I can,” Gomez explained. “But Nevada has a really superior company method, and that would be really excellent diploma to fall again on just in scenario it would not get the job done out.”

Gomez ranks in the prime 5 in the Mountain West in a quantity of categories, such as slugging share, doubles, house runs and stolen bases. He claimed it is really been reassuring to start his Division I career in such effective vogue.

“It would make me feel superior that I’m just able to contribute to the group and assistance us gain any way we can,” Gomez mentioned. “I just hope that I can continue to keep it heading and enable us gain as a lot as we can.”

The Wolf Pack plays its very first match at Peccole Park on Saturday when it hosts Mountain West rival Fresno Point out. Nevada (4-7, 1-2) is wanting to snap a 4-recreation shedding streak, with just about every of those people defeats coming to Pac-12 opponents.

“I believe that we’ve experienced a minimal little bit of a rough start out, but I believe that that we are acquiring some things carried out on the discipline and off the field that are likely to actually contribute to these following pair months,” Gomez reported. “And we have unquestionably discovered a good deal. I assume we’re likely to commence viewing a large amount much more accomplishment coming in these up coming number of weeks.”