Making History for Brazil and Major League Baseball
From Brazil to Tennessee, Miami, and now the big leagues, Yan Gomes proves good things come to those who work hard. The former Barry University star put in the time and effort to become the first Brazilian born player to appear in a Major League Baseball game.
Gomes was a consensus NCAA Division II All-American at Barry in 2009 after transferring from the University of Tennessee. He led Barry to its first-ever Sunshine State Conference title, earning conference and regional Player of the Year in the process. Splitting time between third and catcher, he hit .405 with 17 doubles, 21 homers, and a Barry-record 92 RBI.
The Toronto Blue Jays drafted the Sao Paolo, Brazil native in the 10th round during the 2009 Major League Baseball amateur draft. Gomes then made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays of the Florida Gulf Coast League. Later that same season, Gomes was promoted to the Class-A Short Season New York-Pennsylvania League, where he played for the Auburn Doubledays.
Gomes continued to ascend through the minor league system and started his 2010 season with
Yan Gomes
the Lansing Lugnuts of the Class-A Midwest League. While his maturation as a player blossomed, Gomes was sent to finish out the season with the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League.
He spent most of 2011 with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Class-AA Eastern League but finished with the Las Vegas 51's of the Class-AAA Pacific Coast League. Gomes started 2012 in Sin City, but after hitting .359 with four homers and 22 RBI to begin the season, he received the call of which all minor league players dream.
On May 17, 2012, Gomes became the first Brazilian born player to play in the major leagues. He started at third base against the visiting New York Yankees, collecting his first major-league hit when he singled off Phil Hughes in the fourth inning.
"He is a hard-working and humble young man, and I can say with confidence that all of those qualities that he possesses is a major reason why he moved through the minors that quickly," commented Barry University head coach Marc Pavao.
The rest of 2012, Gomes would go back and forth between the major league club and Triple-A in Las Vegas. In November, the Blue Jays dealt Gomes to the Cleveland Indians. Gomes made his mark on the Indians organization. Through his consistent play, both offensively and behind the plate, he entered 2013 as the Indians' everyday catcher and still holds the position heading into 2016.
"I couldn't be prouder of Yan's accomplishments," said Pavao. "Aside from his ability to play baseball at a very high level, he was a great leader and role model here at Barry."
Former SSC athletes joining Gomes in the MLB during 2016 are JD Martinez (NSU) of the Detroit Tigers, Mike Fiers (NSU) of the Houston Astros, Matt Joyce (FSC) of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Ryan Hanigan (RC) of the Boston Red Sox.
[Published: 4/8/16 / Edited: 3/23/20]
Tampa Paves The Way
With a victory in the final game of the 1981 season, the University of Tampa became the first four-year Florida institution to win a soccer national championship. The 1-0 result over California State University - Los Angeles marked UT's first of many institutional, national titles.
Tampa withstood six consecutive mid-season away games and four overtime contests on the way to a 12-0-3 regular season. Coached by two Sunshine State Conference Hall of Famers, Jay Miller (HC), and Tom Fitzgerald (AC), UT earned a second consecutive NCAA tournament berth.
The undefeated Spartans hosted and defeated Rollins in the first round of the 10-team national tournament on November 21st, 1981. The win sent UT to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, for the first national semifinal game in program history.
The Spartans squared up against the Midwest regional champs, University of Missouri - St. Louis, on November 27th. Tampa blanked UMSL by a score of 2-0 to gain entry into the title game. Peter Johansson broke open, scoring at the 6:53 mark of the second half. Goran Swardh added an insurance goal soon after.
Cal State - Los Angeles downed host school Southern Connecticut State College 3-0 to meet Tampa in the championship game. Tampa entered the game 14-0-3, while CSULA owned a 20-2 record in 1981. The Spartans and Golden Eagles were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, respectively.
An average New Haven temperature of 44-degrees awaited the two sub-tropic teams on Saturday, November 28th. The game opened and stayed a defensive battle throughout regulation as both teams failed to find the back of the net. During overtime, Johansson scored the game-winner in the 92nd minute with a strike from 30 yards.
"To look back at what that national title meant to our university and city is something special," said current Tampa men's soccer coach Adrian Bush. "Those players and coaches set the standard as an athletic program that we all look to carry on today. Coach Miller instilled the vision that we all play for now, and that is to be a national champion on and off the field."
Tom Graham recorded four saves in the final game to help the Spartans earn the championship. He recorded six shutouts in 1981, including four-consecutive to finish the season.
Jay Miller (Left) with trophy
SSC Hall of Famer and current Saint Leo University head coach Keith Fulk was also a member of the 1981 squad. Fulk coached Tampa to the 2001 national championship and was an assistant coach during UT's 1994 national title run.
"I was lucky to be a part of Tampa's national championship runs as a player, assistant coach, and head coach," commented Fulk. "The 1981 team may have been the best. The camaraderie was second to none, and Coach Miller had us peak at the right time."
Since the 1981 championship, the University of Tampa has secured a total of 14 national titles. The Sunshine State Conference has won eight men's soccer titles, three of which were earned by the Spartans (1981, 1994, & 2001), three by Lynn University (2003, 2012, & 2014), and two by Florida Tech (1988 & 1991).
[Published: 4/8/16 / Edited: 3/23/20]