Wright State senior outfielder Ryan Fucci has shown flashes of greatest this season with his strong arm and strength at the plate, but before joining the Raiders last season he had a long road to take.
Originally from Lexington, KY, Fucci committed to Western Kentucky and played baseball there for a year and a half. As a talented basketball player in high school, he decided to transfer to Panama City junior college to play that sport.
After his brief semester stint playing basketball, Fucci determined baseball was his best fit since there is a 40 round professional draft as opposed to the two round draft in basketball.
Facing uncertainty about his next destination, Fucci says he can still remember vividly getting a call late at night by his former assistant baseball coach at Western Kentucky, Jeff Mercer, who was and is currently an assistant coach at Wright State.
“He calls me and says, ‘I’ve got a spot for you if you want to come.’” I came here and visited. The relationship with all of the coaches made it the perfect fit,” Fucci said.
Though Fucci had built a solid relationship with the WSU coaches, he didn’t really know anyone besides Mercer.
“I came here not knowing a sole besides coach Mercer. I leave here with everyone being my best friend. Wright State feels like home,” Fucci said.
“He loves playing baseball,” WSU head coach Greg Lovelady said. “I don’t know if he has ever been in a situation where he has been happy, in a place where people care about him and had the ability to fail every once in a while without being benched. He seems happier since he first got here two years ago.”
Fucci’s family tree includes an ample amount of athletic talent in football, baseball and basketball. At Kentucky his grandfather played football and was the school’s first all American in baseball before playing professional football for the Detroit Lions.
Fucci’s father Dominic played baseball and basketball at Auburn before taking his talents to the Chicago White Sox. Dominic was his son’s coach from childhood up to college, and his guidance certainly made an impression.
“He was probably my biggest role model. He was hard on me, but it was tough love. At the end of the day I knew that he had my best interest,” Fucci said. “He was always harping on me, specifically academics. On the field he knew what kind of player I could be. He wanted the best out of me, and I think he got it. “
When senior day arrived against Milwaukee last Saturday Fucci held up his framed jersey with his parents at his side.
“I didn’t cry. That was a good thing,” Fucci said with a laugh. “It’s sad because I built this awesome relationship with all of these people, and I knew within the next month it could all be over.
For a Raider team that finished runner up in an NCAA regional last season and eclipsed 40 regular season wins for the first time this season, Fucci’s Raider career may not be all over for awhile longer. His contribution to the success has been dynamic athleticism in the outfield and at the plate, where he can create a sense of fear for the opposing pitcher, according to Lovelady.
Fucci doesn’t see himself as the most vocal person, but he instead tries to lead by example by keeping a serious attitude about practice. He has also lead by example with his bat as his towering home run against Valparaiso at home this season demonstrates.
“He hit a home run to dead center, which is really hard to do here. He hit it about 415 feet against Valparaiso,” Lovelady said. “When the ball comes off of his bat it sounds different and looks different. It’s amazing what kind of power he has inside that body and his wrist.”
After being defeated by Illinois in last year’s NCAA Regional, reaching the next round and even Omaha is on Fucci’s and the Raider’s minds. In the Wright State clubhouse there is a sign hanging on the wall that clearly states the team’s intended destination is the College World Series in Omaha.
Fucci described his journey to his current destination at Wright State as a wild one, and there may just be one more in store for him and his team this postseason.
