Anyone who has watched the Ithaca College baseball team this season has had the privilege of witnessing greatness. Senior outfielder Louis Fabbo is in the midst of a historic career and is cementing himself as one of the greatest players to dawn the Bomber uniform.
On April 6, Fabbo became the sixth player in program history to record 200 career hits. Now he is on the quest to break Vince Roman’s ’90 all-time record of 220 hits that has stood for over three decades. Fabbo currently stands one hit away at 219.
However, Fabbo said he does not care about individual statistics or records. Assistant coach Cooper Belyea ’15 said that out of everyone on the team, Fabbo probably cares the least about his heroics, his only concern is helping the team win.
“I gave him his ball for his 200th hit … and he didn’t even smile,” Belyea said. “He was just excited to get the series win against RIT.”
Fabbo graduated from Waldwick High School in Waldwick, New Jersey in 2020, meaning he lost his senior year to the COVID-19 pandemic. This also meant he lost the opportunity to record 100 career varsity hits. He said this made him realize how privileged he was to be able to play baseball in college and since then, he has not focused on individual accolades.
“I never knew when I got 100 hits here, and I barely remember when I got 150,” Fabbo said. “Just like all of a sudden I was super close.”
Fabbo, Colin Shashaty, senior outfielder and team captain; Ben Landis, senior pitcher/catcher and team captain; and the rest of the Class of 2024 began college together during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this could have been a detriment to their careers, it has been anything but that. So far, they have won two Liberty League championships and two regional championships, and are chasing a third. Head coach David Valesente said he owes much to the Class of 2024 because they have helped to shape the future of the program.
“They really paved the way for us to continue recruiting top tier recruits and student-athletes and help us set the stage for the transition of our culture and our identity,” Valesente said.
Fabbo’s success in the program is significant beyond the diamond. Fabbo and the rest of his class were the first recruiting class recruited by Valesente, who took over the program in 2019 after his dad, George Valesente ’66 stepped down after managing the squad for 41 seasons. With his dad still helping out with the team, David Valesente said it would be a historic moment.
“I think he’d love to see Lou break the record,” Valesente said. “I think it’d be a special moment for the transition for our guys in our program and Lou.”
Throughout these last four seasons, his teammates, who Fabbo refers to as his family, have been in awe of what their friend has been able to accomplish. Shashaty said it has been an absolute treat to watch Fabbo do his thing on the diamond. Shashaty said that on top of Fabbo’s elite on-field performance, his work-ethic and attitude is what has had a great impact on himself and the rest of the team.
“I think it’s been really enjoyable for someone like me, who is a captain, to watch him lead by example and just be a role model in various different ways,” Shashaty said. “And I think that’s also one of the reasons why he’s gonna leave such a great impact on the culture of this team.”
Shashaty also said he thinks Fabbo’s defense is another aspect of his game that goes unnoticed. Fabbo started at second base as a first-year student, but was moved to the outfield his sophomore season. Over the last two seasons, Fabbo has only committed three errors in the field while starting every game.
Belyea said that because of Fabbo’s hitting, it made sense for him to move to the outfield where there is less of a defensive focus. Fabbo’s high school coach, Dan Freeman, said Fabbo’s athleticism allows him to play anywhere in the field. He came into high school primarily as a catcher, but started at third base in his first season at the college.
“He’s such a special bat,” Freeman said. “You find a place to fit a player like him in.”
Freeman said Fabbo had to work harder than anyone else on the team. While he attended Waldwick High School, he lived 45 minutes away and only attended Waldwick because his mom worked in the district. This meant that Fabbo would have to wake up before 6 a.m. most mornings and would not get back home until late at night. Freeman said Fabbo’s commitment to his team helped him immediately gain the respect of his teammates.
“Lou worked his tail off and that was evident to the other players on the team,” Freeman said. “They had a lot of respect for what Lou was willing to do to get on the field.”
Landis also had nothing but good things to say about Fabbo, who he considers to be a brother. Landis, who has been Fabbo’s roommate for the last three years, said what makes Fabbo special is that he is able to separate baseball and life outside of baseball. This helps him to stay grounded and maintain his composure through the ups and downs of the season.
“He’s the same after a four for four game and a [zero] for four game,” Landis said.
Fabbo said that regardless of if he breaks the record, the only thing that matters now is if he and the rest of his class can finish the job and take home some more hardware this postseason.
“It’s real now … everything was the precursor to this,” Fabbo said. “It doesn’t matter what you do in the regular season … it really only counts in the playoff games.”
