NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University baseball has another arm headed to the professional level as Jacob Gomez signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.
He joins John Holobetz, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the MLB Draft on Monday.
A left-handed pitcher from Rutherford, New Jersey, Gomez finished his senior campaign ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference with seven saves. He was also named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List. His 2024 season totals included a 2-2 record, 2.88 ERA and a team-high 64 strikeouts through 56.1 innings of work. He made two starts in 17 appearances for the Monarchs this season and held opponents to a .229 batting average against him.
Gomez picked up his first win of the year in the first game of a doubleheader versus Northeastern on March 8. He threw the final three innings, holding the Huskies to one run on two hits while striking out six. On April 6 at then-No. 20 Coastal Carolina, he picked up the save after holding the Chanticleers scoreless for 4.2 innings. He scattered three hits, tallied a season-high nine strikeouts, and struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth inning.
His other win came in the opening round of the Sun Belt Championship as ODU squared off with ninth-seeded South Alabama on May 21. With the Jaguars holding a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, Gomez kept USA in check the rest of the way, tossing 4.2 scoreless frames with three hits, one walk and six strikeouts. That effort helped Gomez earn Sun Belt All-Tournament Team honors as he finished his week in Montgomery, Alabama sporting a 1-0 record with a 1.69 ERA through 5.1 innings and two appearances.
During his four seasons as a Monarch, Gomez posted a 14-7 record with nine saves in five starts, 74 appearances and 180 innings. He owned a career ERA of 4.30 and finishes his time in Norfolk with 197 strikeouts.