Senior (2016):
In his final year at Pacific, Brusa led the Tigers in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and RBI while moving up the ranks in the record books. At one point, Brusa reached base in 14 of 15 plate appearances, winning WCC Player of the Week when he hit .636/.789/1.636 against Fresno State and Portland during Pacific''s seven-game winning streak. He had three multi-homer games, coming on April 16 against Portland, April 22 against Loyola Marymount, and May 17 against Sacramento State. In WCC play, Brusa was fourth in batting average (.371), first in slugging (.742), first in on-base percentage (.488), third in runs (24), third in walks (21), and first in homers (10). He finished second in the WCC in homers overall, just behind teammate Danny Mayer. Twice he drove in four runs in a game, a career best. Brusa ends his career second all-time in doubles (47), fourth in homers (25), 12th in runs (109), and fifth in RBI (122). Brusa is one of just eight Tigers ever with 100 runs and 100 RBI.
Summer (2015):
Outfielder Gio Brusa spent the summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League. Brusa hit .290 with 8 home runs in 32 games for the Red Sox, making the All-Star team along the way. The Red Sox would go on to win the Cape Cod League title, with Brusa adding another home run during the playoffs. He would finish second in the Cape League in home runs.
Junior (2015):
Prior to his third season, Gio was named a preseason All-American by three different publications (Collegiate Baseball - 2nd Team, Perfect Game - 3rd Team, Baseball America - 1st Team). Once in the season, Brusa got off to a slow start after missing much of the buildup to the year with a slight injury. However, once the slugger got going he caught fire as Gio led the team in WCC play hitting .356 with eight extra-base hits in 12 games. Despite finding his rhythm, an injury would end his year prematurely as he missed the final 21 games of the year. Overall, Gio hit .291 with four home runs, 10 doubles, and two triples in 30 contests.
Summer (2014):
Gio had a breakout summer as the top position play in the Cape Cod League while playing for the Brewster Whitcaps. Named the No. 4 overall prospect in the Cape, Brusa garnered all-star recognition for his play as he finished the summer hitting .322 with 20 RBI and six home runs. FanGraphs named him the No. 34 overall draft prospect in the country at the end of the summer.
Sophomore (2014):
Injured in the fall and still showing signs at the start of the year, Brusa got off to a slow start before catching fire in conference play at the end of the season. For the year, Brusa hit .257 in 53 games while knocking in a team-best 40 RBI on 52 hits. He finished with 22 extra-base hits including a team-best 17 doubles while adding two triples and three home runs. Against the WCC, Brusa posted a .306 average with 21 RBI and 15 of his extra-base hits. He ended the year with 13 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games including a pair of four RBI contests.
Freshman (2013):
Showing his power, Gio led the team with four home runs to go along with six doubles and two triples in 50 games played. He drove in 23 RBI while scoring 21 runs and hitting .256 in his first season. Finding his power stroke late, he hit all four of his home runs in the final month of the season while picking up his first against Hawai''i on May 4. He tallied 13 multi-hit games including posting four three-hit efforts, two coming against Long Beach State in conference play. In conference play, Gio posted a .305 average while picking up seven of his 12 extra-base hits. He posted a career-best five RBI against UC Davis on May 12 while going 3-for-5 in the contest.
High School:
Gio Brusa was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 2012 MLB Draft in the 37th round. Prior to the draft, Brusa turned down an offer from the Boston Red Sox to be selected in the fifth round so he could pursue his college education at Pacific. Hit .330 with a .421 on-base percentage and 29 runs batted in as a senior at St. Mary''s in Stockton. He also posted a 1.14 ERA on the mound in 24.2 innings pitched. Went 3-1 with a complete game and 23 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .163 batting average. Helped coach Peter Pijl''s Rams to a 27-6 record and the Tri-City Athletic Conference championship. As a junior, Brusa hit .344, while posting a .371 average as a sophomore on varsity.
Personal
Giovanni Brusa… Son of Jim and Angela Brusa. His mother Angela is a Pacific graduate, while his father Jim played football at Delta College… Majoring in Communication
