WAUKESHA — Ever since he started playing baseball, Rory Fox wanted to be an infielder. Fox wanted to hit and field, so pitching was something he just did when the team needed it. Fox, a three-sport athlete at Catholic Memorial, even continued to play middle infield in college at Notre Dame. But by his sophomore year of college, pitching became his full-time focus.
The focus on pitching worked out well for Fox, as on June 14, the right-hander was taken by the New York Yankees in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2025 MLB Draft.
“It’s still kind of surreal,” Fox said as he was driving from Milwaukee to Tampa, Fla. to meet up with the Yankees at their facility. “It’s been my dream since I can remember to have an opportunity to play professional baseball.”
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Fox was a decorated athlete during his time at Catholic Memorial. The Crusaders alum earned third-team all-state honors as an infielder his junior season, and was all-state honorable mention as a pitcher in his senior year.
Fox was also a standout on the gridiron, taking home the 2022 Parkland Conference Football Player of the Year. Fox earned all-region and allstate honors as both a quarterback and punter, as he led the Crusaders to a perfect 14-0 season and a state title. Fox believes that his success on the diamond is directly related to the success he had on the football field.
“The first thing that I think about is athleticism,” Fox said. “I think from a young age, picking a certain sport and only playing that kind of corners you with the kind of movements you make. For me, competing year-round, I was constantly in a competitive atmosphere, and I think that played into the kind of person that I am today.”
Fox went on to attend Notre Dame to continue his baseball journey, but things got off to a rough start with the Fighting Irish. In Fox’s first series against an ACC opponent, he got an injury that required surgery and had to medically redshirt the rest of his freshman year. As a sophomore, Fox played plenty of second base during the fall season, but by spring, he was back on the mound for the Fighting Irish.
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“Once I started to throw more consistently after the fall, I started to recognize the potential that I had as a pitcher,” Fox said. “The draft was still kind of far out at that point, but it had been a goal of mine, so I just wanted to get out on the field.”
Fox finished his sophomore season with a 2-3 record and a 6.48 ERA in 50 innings of work. It was a difficult season for Fox, but in the offseason, he decided to fully commit to his role as a hurler.
“I ended up pitching on Sundays for us, still relatively new, but I got a lot of experience,” Fox said. “I made my fair share of mistakes, which was good. I learned a lot from it. After that season, I sat down with the coaching staff and we talked about taking the pitching direction. It made sense to me, ultimately, because I wanted to get drafted.”
The decision to focus all of his attention on pitching proved to be a good one, as Fox finished 2025 with a 4-4 record and a 3.58 ERA. Fox, with a medical redshirt under his belt, still could have played two more seasons with Notre Dame, but felt that the best way for him to improve was in a Major League organization.
“I still have a lot to learn,” Fox said. “I think going into a professional organization gives me the best chance to continue to progress as quickly as possible. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to get to the big leagues as fast as possible, and I felt going into it that my chance of doing that was going to be in a Major League organization.”
But Fox isn’t just going to any Major League organization; he’s going to “the” major league organization. The New York Yankees, with a record 27 World Series titles to their name, are the most famous and historic team in the league, but Fox is undaunted by the challenge of donning pinstripes. In fact, he’s relishing it.
“I am excited to be part of an organization that has such a rich history,” Fox said. “I think being part of Notre Dame, it’s kind of a similar vibe with the history that they have. It’s something that I am comfortable with. Obviously, there is a lot to live up to, but I don’t think I’ve ever been one to shy away from a challenge.”