Long before the scouts and accolades came, there was just Matthew Bucciero and the work no one applauded.
Bucciero, or as many of his teammates and friends call him, “Booch,” is a 21-year-old from Ridgefield, Connecticut. A senior outfielder on the Fairfield Stags baseball team, he has seen plenty of recognition and accolades come his way over the course of his four-year career.
In his time at Fairfield, Bucciero has hit for a career .326 batting average and a program-record 51 home runs and counting. Many of his teammates acknowledge him as “one of the best pure athletes they have ever seen.”
While the traits and skills are evident, they aren’t by coincidence. Bucciero grew up with a twin brother named Daniel, who was just recently drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the ninth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. The two would spend late nights and early mornings working and grinding to improve every aspect of their game growing up.
While the hard work was never seen by many, Bucciero continued to want to be the best version of a player he could be. It really started to hit him when the world shut down during COVID-19 in 2020.
“I remember during COVID, my brother and I built a gym in our garage and would lift for hours every day,” Bucciero said. “Immediately after we were finished, we would go out to a field and hit balls to each other or feed each other for batting practice.”
This was an everyday routine for the senior star and allowed him to stay on top of his game while there was no baseball to be played. His hard work ended up paying off.
After the world started to get back to normal and baseball was allowed to be played again, Bucciero focused on getting recruited for college. While not many schools had interest in Bucciero, one gave him an opportunity. That school was Fairfield.
“I remember stepping on campus and meeting the coaching staff, and knowing this was the right place for me,” Bucciero said.
Bucciero ended up receiving a scholarship to come to Fairfield, and it was a match made in heaven from that day on.
When Bucciero stepped onto campus for the first day of fall practice in 2022 as a first-year player, he was unlike any first-year player anyone had seen at Fairfield.
Former Fairfield pitcher and captain Jake Noviello had the opportunity to share the field with Bucciero when he first arrived on campus.
“I remember watching Booch take batting practice that first day of fall practice, and watching him hit baseballs that cleared the fence by at least 100 feet and saying to my buddy, this kid is special,” Noviello said.
Bucciero, who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed 225 pounds, did not look like a freshman when he showed up at Fairfield, and showed off his raw talent from the start.
As the year went on, Bucciero found himself in the starting lineup early in the season and never looked back. In his debut season, he was named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team and was named Fairfield University’s Male Rookie of the Year.
This jump-started what has become a historic career at Fairfield. With his success in his rookie season, his confidence grew, and it showed in a big way.
Luke Nomura, a senior on the baseball team, has had the pleasure of playing alongside Bucciero since 2022.
“There is no secret as to why Booch has been so successful in his time here,” Nomura said. “He is a grinder; he stays late after practice and is always putting his most into every lift we have.”
Bucciero is as hardworking as it gets. His numbers speak for themselves, as he is having a historic 2026 season, already surpassing his single-season home run record in only 37 games, and earlier this year, breaking the Fairfield baseball program’s all-time home run record.
“Breaking that record was very special to me,” Bucciero said. “There have been incredibly talented players who have come through this university, and I am fortunate to have played with a lot of them.”
Bucciero is one of, if not the biggest, power threats in all of Division I baseball, so the question remains: What’s next?
Bucciero has hopes of being drafted just like his brother was last summer. MLB scouts have lined up to come see the phenom at nearly every game he plays.
“It has always been my dream to play in the MLB,” Bucciero said. “I’m looking forward to what the future has in store for me and can’t wait to finish out this year, hopefully with some hardware.”
While Fairfield’s season is winding down and the Stags look to secure a top seed in the MAAC playoffs, Bucciero has been a main contributor to the team’s 15-6 conference record.
He looks to continue his excellent season and secure a second MAAC Championship in two years.
For Bucciero, the success he has achieved on and off the field is a testament to the type of person he is and strives to be. With the MLB Draft coming this summer, he hopes to hear his name called and looks to become the 22nd Stag drafted into Major League Baseball — cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Fairfield Stags uniform.
