No matter the job, HPU Baseball’s Jayden Gabrillo puts forth best effort

Jayden Gabrillo wears many hats for the Hawai’i Pacific University baseball team.

With the ability to pitch, be in the field or swing at the plate, the Ewa Beach-native is a complete player.

In the Sharks’ most recent series against Concordia University-Irvine, Gabrillo showed that he was capable of delivering a complete game.

Gabrillo is coming off a career-high pitching performance that earned him PacWest Pitcher of the Week honors. To help HPU earn a much-needed series split on its first road trip of the season, Gabrillo had a complete-game win with seven strikeouts while allowing just two hits and giving up one run and one walk on 87 pitches in a 6-1 win on Feb. 18.

The nine-inning effort marked the program’s first complete game since April 28, 2023, when Andrew Hauck struck out nine in a 5-1 victory over University of Hawai’i-Hilo.

At 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, Gabrillo is not the typical workhorse starter. But as a true sophomore, he has earned the trust of his coaching staff in high-leverage situations.

That trust began in an unlikely way.

During opening weekend of the 2025 season, Gabrillo did not see the field. Instead, his responsibility was collecting bats at home plate after hitters reached base — a task he approached with urgency.

“Coach Dane always preaches about being the best in your job in whatever you do whether it be like picking up baseballs or doing laundry just doing the best job you can do and that will carry onto our baseball team and win games,” Gabrillo said.

HPU coach Dane Fujinaka and his staff took notice. The following weekend, Gabrillo made his first pitching start. By season’s end, he had appeared in 17 games as a freshman in 2025, with the Sharks winning 10 of those contests.

“We had a couple of banged up guys so I had to step up and my teammates had my back the whole time so they made it easy for me to go in and do my job, luckily I just did really good,” Gabrillo said.

Among his freshman highlights were two innings of relief against Division I University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, when he struck out three and allowed one hit without a walk. He recorded a season-high six strikeouts against Vanguard and Chaminade and started the Sharks’ first game of the PacWest tournament.

All smiles for Jayden Gabrillo (left) after not giving up run against the Rainbow Warriors in a 2025 contest. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

“Jayden has been improving from day one of his freshman year,” Fujinaka said. “Really happy about the work he’s put in over the last year and a half. He’s gotten a lot stronger and most importantly matured into a pitcher who we feel like can fill different roles for us. I see him starting or closing — and when he’s not doing one of those, he’s the guy we go to in big spots. Pitching late in the postseason last year is really going to help him for what’s to come.”

Gabrillo also delivered at the plate in a key moment last season. In a 14-inning road win over Jessup, he entered as a pinch hitter in the top of the 14th and lined a leadoff single to left field — his first collegiate hit. He later scored the go-ahead run in a 10-8 victory.

He has continued to contribute in multiple ways as a sophomore. Gabrillo earned the pitching win in Fujinaka’s 100th career victory earlier this year, tossing 3 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. He played second base in a 2-0 win over St. Martin’s and later that day threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and striking out five. In the Sharks’ first win of the CUI series, he split time at second base and recorded his first hit and run of the season.

The addition of pitching coach Zachary Swanson in the offseason has aided his development.

“Jayden’s development since September has been exceptional,” Swanson said. “From improving his arm care routines to his upgraded pitch arsenal, he’s continued to take massive steps in getting better every day.”

Gabrillo was sharp from the outset in his complete game against CUI. He struck out the side looking or swinging in multiple innings and allowed only two hits, the last coming on a bunt single in the fourth. The Golden Eagles did not record another hit the rest of the game.

“The stuff is there,” Swanson said. “It’s special to see him executing his plan. Those kind of outings, the whole pitching staff feels and rides the energy of an outing like that.”

Jayden Gabrillo plays in the field at second base during Sharks’ 2026 opening-weekend. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

For Gabrillo, performing at a high level carries added meaning.

“I always loved representing and playing for Hawai’i,” he said. “One of the main reasons why I came here was to represent Hawai’i and also to play in front of my family so they can see every game — and when we go out and play on the mainland it’s just even more special representing Hawai’i.”

The Sharks return home this weekend for their PacWest home opener, hosting Jessup in a four-game series from Saturday through Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m at Hans L’Orange Park in Waipahu.