Baseball season may not have ended the way the Nature Coast Tech Sharks may have wanted it to, but for senior outfielder Dom Gattinella, it’s the memories and the connections he made in the ballpark that he’s holding onto. 

“A lot of hard-fought victories over this field, a lot of practice put in to become the player I am today,” Dom said. 

Number 33 played outfield for the Sharks, a position he grew into over the years.

He told Spectrum Sports 360's Katya Guillaume, “I started in the infield and as I grew older, I went into the outfield, as I had speed and it was a better position for me to play for the team.”

When he was not on defense, the Sharks’ outfielder was making his mark at the plate.

“For senior year," he said, "I finished with a .355 batting average with 4 home runs, led the team in batting average, on-base percentage, and most offensive stats.” 

Head Coach Dan Garofano said Dom is the kind of athlete any college team would be lucky to have on their roster.

“What a way to go out as a senior," he said. "He led our team in pretty much every offensive category and he didn’t make an error in the outfield, made a couple of game-saving catches in the outfield, he was excellent all around all year.”

The Sharks made it to the regionals this year, a place they know well.

Dom remembers his last win in the field like it was yesterday.

“District championship game," he recalled, "we had a lot on the line, playing a pretty good team. We already lost to them during the regular season so we had some weight on our shoulders but we battled and ended up winning 13-1.”

The Sharks are known for putting double digits on the board. 

Dom hopes to do the same with his next team…something he is still trying to figure out. 

He said, “I definitely want to play at the next level. The only offers I have don’t have what I want to study in as criminal justice goes.” 

For the time being, he’s playing summer travel ball to keep his skills in shape for when that right opportunity comes around.