Brett Tomko set the bar for Division II pitching during the 1995 baseball playoffs. He piloted the Florida Southern College Moccasins that season, with dominance rarely seen before.
Led by Tomko, the Moccasins earned the SSC co-championship and the regional No. 2 seed with a 44-10 overall record and 15-6 conference record. Tomko put together an incredible argument for SSC Pitcher of the Year. He finished the regular season with 12 wins, 128 strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.56 in his 98 innings pitched. With Tomko on the mound, FSC was primed for postseason baseball.
Along Interstate 4, less than 12 miles from Florida Southern, Plant City was home to the three-team, double-elimination, south region tournament. A prime location for Tomko and the Moccasins to start their playoff run.
Brett Tomko
Without Tomko on the mound, Florida Southern opened the tournament with a victory against the University of Tampa, 19-17, in an extra-inning slugfest. Tomko would take the hill against SSC co-champions, University of North Florida. The 6-4 hurler spaced six hits, walked one, and struck out eight in a complete-game effort. FSC took the win, 6-2, over North Florida.
A convincing 20-1 win over Tampa in the regional championship sent FSC back to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Now, a 13-game winner, Tomko was tabbed South Region Pitcher of the Year.
The Orange County, California, native, set the tone at the national tournament by tossing a five-hit complete-game shutout against Bloomsburg. Florida Southern rolled 7-0 in the opening game. Following a 9-5 win over Valdosta State, FSC would meet Central Missouri in a rematch of the 1994 national title game. Tomko pitched an inning and a third in relief. He struck out three batters while picking up a save and securing the 9-7 FSC win.
With Tomko on the bump, FSC defeated Georgia College 15-0, which stands as the largest margin of victory to date in the national championship. Tomko showed complete control, spacing seven hits and striking out 11 batters in nine innings. It was his second complete-game shutout of the tournament.
In all, Tomko tossed 19 and one-third innings of scoreless baseball while striking out 18 batters at the 1995 NCAA Division II National Championship tournament. He was named the most outstanding player in the College World Series after earning Florida Southern its eighth baseball title.
Tomko's incredible playoff performance yielded three complete-game shutouts, 26 strikeouts, and a save in 28 and one-third innings pitched across four appearances. "Looking back at the numbers, it didn't seem possible to go on a run like that," remembered Tomko. "I got hot and started pitching well."
As a result, he was named an All-American and was the first athlete to be named both the National Pitcher of the Year and National Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He finished the 1995 season at 15-2, second nationally in earned run average at 1.35, and first in strikeouts with 154.
"Playing for Florida Southern College was the best decision I ever made," commented Tomko. "It was a highly touted program fully ingrained in a baseball community. Florida Southern and Lakeland provided a great foundation for me to get national exposure."
Tomko was the first pitcher ever awarded SSC Male Athlete of the Year. The honor was bestowed upon him just days after he was taken 54th overall in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. The Cincinnati Reds made him their first pick in the draft.
In a further testament to his outstanding collegiate career, D2 Baseball News established the Brett Tomko Award in 2014 to be awarded annually to the Division II Pitcher of the Year. "It is a huge honor to have my name associated with the award," said Tomko. "I take a lot of pride being a Division II athlete and to have played at a small school."
Tomko now resides in Poway, California, and is retired after 20 professional years of baseball, 13 of which were played in the MLB. He passes the time teaching the game he loves and coaching his twin sons' tee-ball team. "When I put the uniform on them for the first time, I got way more excited than any time I ever put on a uniform," he said. "This is the most important job I've ever had."
[Published: 4/1/16 / Edited: 3/24/20]
About the 40 Great Moments Campaign