Brock Baseball: Where Are They Now – Fabio Del Rio

March 5, 2010

By Shawn Eckford (Assistant Head of Communications, Brock Baseball)

In the second installment of our “Where Are They Now” series, we catch up with Fabio Del Rio, former Brock southpaw ace, and this month’s featured alumni player. We caught up with Fabio to ask him about his time at Brock, and where it has taken him.

A graduate of Lester B. Pearson High School in Gloucester Ontario, Fabio attended Brock in the Business Entrepreneurship program. Fabio came to Brock after a year at Ottawa U, when he attended an MLB scouting combine and was encouraged to transfer to Brock. In his time with the Badgers, Fabio accumulated a 9-5 record in 24 appearances, with a 4.54 ERA. In 1997, Fabio recorded the first no-hitter in Brock baseball history.

Described as “our Greg Maddux” by coach Jeff Lounsbury, Fabio was known for his changeup, and even more significantly, his drive and determination. Coach Lounsbury says that Fabio’s patience and determination helped him through the ups and downs in the development of his game.

Fabio knew he had found his fit from his first day of camp. When asked, Fabio said “I got along with the guys right away and I was just excited to play baseball every day for two months straight.” Fabio says he made up for his lack of formal pitching training by learning from his coaches, and committing to hard work and trying to constantly improve himself.

Fabio credits pitching coach Rick Falconer specifically with helping him improve his game. Fabio’s hard work paid off later on, when after a few tough losses in 1996 and 1997, losses that Fabio describes as “downright gutwrenching”, the Badgers won the 1998 National Championship. Fabio’s patience, drive and determination became obvious again when he suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow in June of that year, but was able to undergo intense physiotherapy in order to pitch in key games to help the Badgers win the National Championship in October of that year. Fabio describes the day of the championship game as “October 25th 1998 – still the best day of my life.”

On a personal level, Fabio is engaged, and will be getting married in May, and has become very successful in his professional career. He worked as an editor of a national sports collectibles magazine, and as a vice-president of an NHL hockey trading card manufacturer. It is through his education in entrepreneurship that Fabio has achieved his latest success, starting his own company with his brother called CSE Games, where he creates, develops and manufactures board games and other entertainment products. Fabio feels lucky to be able to work in sports-related industries, and says he has been able to travel to places like Hawaii and Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Games, as well as several NHL All-Star Games and NHL Drafts. Fabio was also thrilled to have met Mario Lemieux at a personal autograph signing, as well as a meeting with Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.

When it comes to baseball, Fabio still occasionally finds his way back to Community Park while playing, when his team the Dundas Chiefs visit the St. Catharines Metros in Central Ontario Baseball Association play.

When asked for his advice or wisdom for current and future Brock baseball players, Fabio says “Baseball is hard. But if you love it hard, it will love you back hard. Have fun but take it seriously because it goes by quickly. At practice, put in a good effort… everyday. You’re there anyway, so you might as well work to improve your game. Doing extra running, taking extra ground balls, taking extra swings, it DOES make a difference.”

We wish Fabio the best in his upcoming marriage, and continued success in his career. For more information about CSE Games and their products, please visit www.csegames.com.