Sonny Fauci worked himself into a ninth-inning jam.

In just his second day donning a Brewster Whitecaps uniform, Fauci was called upon to close out Brewster’s home opener with the Whitecaps leading the Bourne Braves, 4-2. He struck out the leadoff batter with a 12-6 curveball but then went off the rails.

Two walks with a single sandwiched between juiced the bases and put the tying run on second base. Fauci forced a popout for the second out of the inning, but the Braves sent out a left-handed pinch hitter, prompting a mound visit from Whitecaps manager Jamie Shevchik.

On the mound, Shevchik asked his pitcher if he wanted to stay in the game. Fauci first nodded his head then said, “I want the baseball.”

A wild pitch allowed one run to score, but with the tying run 90 feet away, Fauci sealed the deal, forcing a lazy fly ball to preserve the save. In his first appearance in the Cape Cod Baseball League, Fauci found himself amid pressure but ultimately battled through, a perfect encapsulation of his baseball career.

“I feel like that's a big part of my game, being able to navigate rough situations,” Fauci said.

Following a series of setbacks due to injuries and five collegiate seasons split across St. John’s and Rutgers, Fauci’s goal is to play professional baseball. The next step in achieving that goal is performing well for the Whitecaps to start the 2024 summer, giving him at least one more look from professional scouts.

“I'd probably put [the CCBL] at one of the most important opportunities I’ve had in my baseball career,” Fauci said. “I feel like this is probably the best opportunity for me to show someone that I have what it takes to get to the next level.”

At 23 years old, Fauci is one of the most experienced CCBL players this season. While many teammates and opponents just finished up their first or second collegiate season, Fauci finished his fifth. He still has a year of NCAA eligibility remaining, but Fauci has already received all the education he desired, earning an undergraduate in accounting and a master's in financial analysis.

Fauci knew playing professional baseball was something he wanted to pursue from a young age. An Old Bridge, New Jersey, native, Fauci had a strong arm from around 8 years old. His father, Bill, saw his potential as a pitcher and wanted to get him help to develop more mechanically. That’s when he turned to a New Jersey connection.

Bill was watching another young pitcher who impressed him from the area and wanted to know who he trained with. The kid happened to be working with Mark Leiter, an 11-year MLB pitcher. Bill got in contact with Leiter and Fauci began training with him throughout his youth career.

Once or twice a week, Fauci would make the 45-minute drive to throw bullpens in Leiter’s backyard, cleaning up mechanics and working on command.

“He matured,” Leiter said of Fauci. “He was a young kid throwing the ball and he slowly wanted to learn how to hit spots with good control. He did all the right things.”

As Fauci progressed, he earned recognition for his success, ranking as the No. 26 overall prospect in New Jersey and No. 9 RHP, according to Perfect Game. At Old Bridge High School, Fauci used his high-powered arm to strike out batters on the mound and to gun down runners from right field.

High school success brought Fauci to St. John's, where he impressed in his freshman season, not allowing an earned run in 12 2/3 innings of work. But Fauci’s success didn’t get him far, as the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short. He was poised to build upon his success in Year 2 when the team returned to action. But Fauci was hit with the injury bug.

First, it was the flexor in his forearm that put him out for the fall. Then right before the season, he felt a tweak in his elbow but tried pitching through it for a few weeks. The injury evolved into Fauci needing Tommy John surgery in April 2021. He rushed back just 11 1/2 months later, an astonishingly quick return from major elbow surgery.

Fauci pitched 76 1/3 innings across his junior and senior seasons, but he didn’t feel the same. It was always a matter of trying to work back to where he was in his freshman season. With four years down at St. John's, it was time to come home. In June 2023, Fauci decided to transfer to Rutgers University, returning to New Jersey.

While it was a homecoming for Fauci, it was also a reset.

“I felt like I needed a mental fresh start,” Fauci said.

At Rutgers, Fauci faced an oblique injury early on but eventually became a reliable option, recording a 10.4 K/9. While used primarily in high-leverage relief roles, Fauci eventually was stretched out to a starter, allowing just three hits and two runs through 7 1/3 innings pitched in his final appearance of the season on May 16.

What stuck out to many in the Rutgers program, though, was Fauci’s veteran presence.

“He was a shining example for us in terms of an older player that does things the right way and goes about it the right way,” Rutgers pitching coach Brendan Monaghan said of Fauci.

Now, with five seasons of collegiate baseball behind him, Fauci looks to turn professional. The opportunity to play in the CCBL was one he had in the past but never worked out.

After recording a 2.10 ERA in the NECBL in summer 2022, Fauci was invited to pitch near the end of the CCBL season. He declined, though, since he had already shut down for the summer. In 2023, he was invited to play in the second half of the Cape League season, but Rutgers shut him down to prepare for the fall.

Now, in 2024, Fauci was given the invite in August of the past season and couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“A lot of these young kids are here to start a name for themselves. Sonny is here for different reasons,” Shevchik said. “Sonny's here because this could be the one thing that propels him into professional baseball. It could be his last opportunity, who knows?”

In recent years, Fauci and Leiter haven’t worked together nearly as much as they did in years past. Throughout college, the two would talk over the phone to discuss how to attack hitters and Fauci would occasionally send video to Leiter to evaluate.

Still, Leiter has major confidence in Fauci’s ability to turn pro and compete at the next level.

“If they do draft or sign him, they're gonna get far better than they realized. He's got the mentality, I believe, 100% he's got the mindset to be a big league pitcher,” Leiter said.

Title photo credit: Avery Raimondo