BASEBALL IN HIS BLOOD: DuBois Central Catholic’s Brayden Fox Has Grown Up Around the Sport

DuBOIS, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Times at the plate zip by like a mid-90s fastball for Brayden Fox these days.

When he steps into the box for the DuBois Central Catholic baseball team, he knows he may just get one opportunity, one pitch, one fleeting offering over the plate to hammer.

Opposing pitchers simply do not give in to Fox, a sophomore with a sweet left-handed swing cultivated from years of growing up around baseball.

His father, Adam, is the head baseball coach for DCC and spent nine years in the minor leagues with the Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals. His stepfather, Corey Ragsdale, is also a former pro baseball player who played in the minors with the New York Mets and Texas Rangers. He’s currently the first base coach for the Rangers.

“Yeah, I’m getting a little pitched around,” Fox said. “But I’m just keeping my approach and doing everything I can to help us win and get on base as the three hitter.”

That’s sometimes easier said than done for Fox, who last year as a freshman for the Cardinals led the team with a .453 average and 38 RBIs to help DCC win a District 9 and PIAA Class A championship.

The road has been a bit rockier this season for both Fox and the Cardinals.

Fox is still hitting well, .500 after an 0 for 2 day on Wednesday with a RBI and run scored in an 8-0 victory over Brockway.

He’s walked five times and been hit once in 15 plate appearances. When he has had a chance to swing the aluminum, he has two doubles and six RBIs.

He’s only struck out one time.

“It’s tough sometimes,” Fox said. “It’s tough going in there and just seeing a bunch of balls. It’s all about the mindset. The mental approach. I’ve just always followed that and that’s what helps me the most.”

Fox also got the win on the mound against Brockway, giving up just three hits and striking out eight in five scoreless innings.

The victory was a much-needed one for DCC, which had lost three straight to begin the season before shutting out the Rovers.

“I have no worries at all right now,” Fox said. “You know, it’s early. It’s only April and playoffs don’t start for another two months. It’s just like last year. We started off 3-3 and then we just started going on a roll. I have 100% faith in our guys and our coaching staff.”

(Brayden Fox shares a hug with his father and DuBois Central Catholic baseball coach Adam Fox after the Cardinals won the PIAA Class A championship last June)

DuBois Central Catholic was a juggernaut down the stretch last season, going on one of the most dominant runs in PIAA playoff history.

Following that 3-3 start, the Cardinals lost just one more time, a 3-2 setback to Elk County Catholic in late April. DCC won 15 straight after that loss and outscored its opponents 46-10 in the state playoffs, including a 12-2 triumph over Halifax in the title game at Penn State.

This is a different team, however. The Cardinals lost two of their top pitchers to graduation, and the early part of this season will be used to find their replacements.

Fox, a left-hander, may be one of them and his strong outing against Brockway — where he is the quarterback for the football team as part of the co-op between the two schools in the fall — is a good sign.

“For us right now, it’s our pitching and our defense,” Fox said. “We just need to take all the pressure off, honestly, and forget about last year. That’s in the past. This year is this year. We don’t have the pitching that we did with (Brandin Anderson and Cole Sansom), but we have more athletes. I know we can do it. I think we can be just as good as last year.”

If there was ever someone who was born to play baseball, it’s Fox.

He’s been groomed for the diamond since a young age.

And he’s surrounded by people who know the sport inside and out.

“For me, baseball has kind of been grown into be my whole life,” Fox said. “It’s kind of a normal thing for me. I just go and play and have confidence in myself. Hitting is one of the most difficult things to do in the world. Good MLB players get a hit three times out of 10.”

Fox said he thinks about playing major league baseball one day.

“Oh, for sure,” Fox said.

But he’ll have a choice to make soon.

Fox is also one of the best quarterbacks in the state for Brockway.

Last year, he passed for 2,611 yards and 33 touchdowns for the Rovers.

Already in his career, he’s thrown for 5,179 yards and 56 TDs.

“I’m not eliminating (football) from my life,” Fox said. “I’m still a sophomore now. I’m still growing and getting bigger, stronger. I’m just going to let time tell — baseball or football. I’ll have to make a decision.”

Fox said he will never consider giving up one of those sports in high school.

“Being an athlete is one of the most important things that a high school kid can be,” he said.

When it comes to baseball, he has lots of ears to bend.

And experiences to cherish.

“That’s pretty much my life,” Fox said. “My stepdad and I talk about baseball all the time. Obviously, he’s not a home a lot during the season, but we’re actually going to Chicago this weekend during Easter to go see (Texas) play against the Cubs. So I’ll get be go on the field with the guys and take BP, so that will be pretty great.”

This is one in a series of articles highlighting some of the top returning baseball and softball players in District 9 for the 2023 season.