Gatto bids good-bye to Pio baseball
Open gallery
After 22 years of service to the Lewis & Clark College community, Jerry Gatto coached his final baseball game for the Pioneers on April 30, an 8-2 loss to Western Baptist.
Gatto stepped onto the field and threw the first pitch to his son, Steven. For the record, it was high and outside, but that mattered little. It was the last time Gatto’s No. 12 would appear in a Lewis & Clark baseball uniform. He finished with a school-record 395 career wins against 381 losses and three ties.
Gatto has been serving Lewis & Clark in various roles since he was hired as baseball coach and instructor in 1981. In addition to his duties teaching physical education and coaching baseball, he directed athletics from 1989 to 1991 and guided athletics development since 1991. He has also taught courses at the graduate School of Education.
A three-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year (1981, 1983, 1987), Gatto also has to his credit three North-west Conference titles (1981, 1983, 1987) and an NAIA II World Series appearance in 1990. The Pios also won five NAIA District II championships (1981, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990) under Gatto. In 1994 he was inducted into the NAIA District II Hall of Fame.
Following his retirement, Gatto plans to continue his service to Lewis & Clark in a limited role, assisting with athletics development and working in golf-event management for Northwest Star Productions.
—by Tom Galbraith
