New Mexico Junior College Professional Athletes

NMJC Alumni Report | MLB Postseason | Oct. 4–10, 2026

Nick Pivetta's college path ran through Hobbs, New Mexico — not exactly a traditional pipeline to the October stage. But the New Mexico Junior College alum found himself at the center of one of the week's highest-stakes assignments, taking the ball for the San Diego Padres in a must-win NLDS Game 3 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park.

San Diego came into Tuesday night's game staring down a 0-2 series deficit, having dropped a heartbreaker in Game 2 on Sunday. The Padres needed a performance that could spark a comeback. Pivetta delivered something workable — if not dominant.

The right-hander went 4.1 innings, striking out four and allowing two earned runs. His ERA for the outing settled at 3.52. It wasn't a shutdown performance, but in a game where every inning of quality pitching carries weight, Pivetta kept the Padres in it. San Diego ultimately escaped the night with a 4-3 win, staving off elimination and cutting the series deficit to 2-1.

On the other side of the matchup, Milwaukee tabbed Dustin May — acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline — to go for the sweep. May struggled to close the door, and the Padres' bats made enough noise at Petco Park to steal a critical game. The series continues, and Pivetta's gutty outing will be remembered as the moment San Diego kept its season alive.

For NMJC, it's a notable moment. The Hobbs, NM junior college doesn't often see its alumni pitching in elimination playoff games, but Pivetta has carved out a legitimate big-league career, and this October assignment is a reflection of the trust the Padres placed in him when the margin for error disappeared.

The other active NMJC alum on a big-league roster, Yankees first baseman Javier Jasso, did not have notable activity surfaced during this period.

The Padres' season is far from over — but it's alive, in no small part because of a kid from the junior college ranks in New Mexico who took the mound when San Diego needed him most.

When the San Diego Padres needed someone to help close out the Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series, they turned to a kid from Hobbs, New Mexico — New Mexico Junior College alumnus Nick Pivetta.

Pivetta took the mound for Game 2 of the Wild Card Series on Wednesday at Petco Park with San Diego already holding a 1-0 series lead after a dominant 8-0 blowout in the opener. The stakes were simple: win and advance, lose and let the Cubs breathe.

Pivetta Delivers When It Matters

The right-hander didn't author a complete-game gem, but he got the job done when the Padres needed him most. Pivetta worked 3.1 innings, struck out four, and surrendered just one earned run — a performance that held the Cubs at bay in the early going and set the tone for a 4-1 San Diego victory.

With an ERA of 2.70 on the day, Pivetta gave the Padres' bullpen a manageable situation to work with, and the lineup did the rest. San Diego's 4-1 win sealed the series and sent the Cubs home for the winter.

It's the kind of outing that doesn't jump off a box score — 3.1 innings rarely inspires highlight reels — but playoff baseball isn't always about dominance. It's about eating innings, limiting damage, and giving your team a chance. Pivetta did exactly that on one of the sport's biggest stages.

The NMJC Connection

Pivetta's appearance is a meaningful moment for New Mexico Junior College, a small JUCO program in the southeastern corner of New Mexico that doesn't often see its name in MLB playoff coverage. The Thunderbirds have produced professional talent, but a pitcher starting a postseason elimination game — even in a shortened outing — is a legitimate point of pride for the Hobbs campus.

Pivetta isn't the only active NMJC alumnus in the big leagues. Yankees first baseman Javier Jasso also counts the Thunderbirds among his alma maters, though Jasso was not in action during this period.

What's Next

With the Wild Card round wrapped up, the Padres move on to the next round of the playoffs, and Pivetta's role in the rotation — or as a high-leverage arm — will remain worth watching. His ability to limit runs in a short-outing, high-pressure assignment suggests San Diego's coaching staff has confidence in him when October moments arrive.

For NMJC alumni tracking their Thunderbirds in the pros, the week of September 27 through October 3 offered something worth celebrating: one of their own, on the mound, in the playoffs, getting the win.

Nick Pivetta doesn't get the headlines Michael King does in San Diego's rotation. But as the Padres gear up for October, the New Mexico Junior College alum is making a compelling case that he's the X-factor that could carry them deep into the postseason.

Pivetta enters the playoffs with a 2.86 ERA and has been officially slotted as San Diego's No. 2 starter behind King — a vote of confidence from a franchise that knows it needs depth and reliability when the margins tighten in October. His most recent outing came Thursday, September 25, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles — the final home game of the regular season for LA — where Pivetta threw 4.2 innings and struck out seven in a 4-2 Padres win. It wasn't a deep start, but seven punchouts in fewer than five innings signals the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that plays in high-leverage playoff settings.

The question hanging over Pivetta heading into October is durability — specifically, whether he can log deeper outings when San Diego needs more from him. He and Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow have both navigated injuries this season, with Thursday marking just Glasnow's 13th start of 2026. That inning-count concern is real. But according to FanSided, the Padres have identified Pivetta as their best option behind King regardless, and are counting on him to make life difficult for opposing lineups — starting with the Cubs, should that matchup materialize.

For NMJC fans in Hobbs and beyond, it's a remarkable arc. Pivetta's college roots in the junior college circuit rarely make the national baseball conversation, but when a pitcher is anchoring a playoff rotation with a sub-3.00 ERA, the résumé speaks for itself.

Also in the mix: Fellow NMJC alum Javier Jasso is on the Yankees' roster as a first baseman, though no notable stats or game activity for Jasso surfaced during this period. Pivetta is carrying the banner for the Thunderbirds this October.

The Padres are built for a deep run, and Pivetta — workload caveats and all — is a legitimate piece of that puzzle. If he can stretch his outings and keep the strikeout rate elevated, San Diego's rotation becomes a genuine weapon. For one junior college in southeastern New Mexico, it's appointment viewing.