Former University of the Pacific student-athlete Thomas Gavello is finding his stride up the I-5 with the Sacramento River Cats this season.

Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 13th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft, Gavello has swung a hot bat for the River Cats, the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. He’s maintaining a .341 batting average with four home runs, 22 RBI and 17 runs in over 98 plate appearances and 25 games.

It’s come after two call-ups already this year. He began 2025 with the Single-A affiliate Eugene Emeralds before getting promoted after 16 games to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels. Gavello played 31 games for Richmond before getting bumped up again.

Gavello, a native of Danville, California,played three seasons at Pacific from 2020-22 and said he is excited to be playing closer to home.

“It’s definitely special,” Gavello said. “My parents and my family are able to come out to my games. That was one of main reasons why I went to Pacific. My brother lived down the street from the stadium and he also played baseball his whole life too, so it would be often that he’d support me and watch my games while I was a Tiger.”

With the Tigers, Gavello hit .286 with 21 home runs, 48 extra-base hits, 63 RBI and 75 runs in 110 games, primarily playing third base. In the year he got drafted, Gavello led the Tigers in multiple categories, including 11 home runs, 31 RBI, 24 extra-base hits, 92 total bases and 33 walks.

“My time at Pacific was amazing,” Gavello said. “Pacific and the college baseball schedule prepared me mentally and physically with the game play and the weekly grind. The conference is pretty good when it comes to pitching when facing teams like Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga. That was the first time I was really put in front of some good pitching, so I had to solidify my approach at the plate. Pacific really sprinkled everything I needed to know and be ready for professional baseball.”

Gavello was tied for third in the West Coast Conference in home runs, ultimately earning him a spot on the Perfect Game All-WCC team. Gavello was also named a 2021 First Team All-WCC selection and WCC All-Freshman infielder after hitting .335 in his first full season with Pacific.

“I definitely enjoyed the time I had with all my teammates,” Gavello said. “All three years there we had a pretty tight knit group. The camaraderie with the guys really made it fun to play baseball. Spending time with them on and off the field made it very fun to play at Pacific.”

Gavello’s recent success sheds light on the growing Pacific baseball program as the current players and coaches don’t have to look too far to see a Tiger finding his stripes in the pros.

“Having a professional baseball player right up the road is a huge deal for our program,” Pacific Baseball Head Coach Reed Peters said. “It’s a nice reminder of how close our guys are to the big leagues.”

Gavello offered some advice to present and future Pacific baseball players who look to follow in his footsteps and play professionally.

“One of the main pieces of advice I’d give is putting in that consistency at the practices and trainings. If you make the most of those opportunities to practice and with the preparation on the field, that’s what really pays off and gets you to where you want to be. You just have to remember to stay focused on your work and balance having fun and competing.”