Kids play baseball under the bright Williamsport lights and share small secrets about their futures. Sometimes those secrets are big dreams, like being an astronaut, a doctor, or a major-league player. And it’s pretty predictable, right? So when the ESPN broadcasting team came across one player’s unique ambition to become an actuary, it completely broke the mold and created a memorable TV moment.

It was the tournament’s third-place game on Sunday, August 24, 2025, between Fairfield National of Connecticut and Santa Cruz of Aruba. During the game, when Brian Palazzolo stepped onto the mound to relieve starter Charlie McCullough in the third inning, ESPN’s on-screen player card displayed his dream job as “actuary.” It paused the broadcasting booth, which featured veteran Karl Ravech, Todd Frazier, and Jessica Mendoza, for a moment.

Ravech expressed his shock, saying, “I think that’s a first in about 20 years that I’ve seen somebody say actuary.” He then asked his co-hosts, Frazier and Mendoza, if they knew what an actuary does. Neither of them had any idea.

“The actuary is the person that kinda goes and puts a value on, particularly, generally a piece of property,” Ravech explained. “You need an actuary to determine what the damage would be. That’s one example.”

Unfortunately for Ravech, his definition was quite a bit off base.

So, what does an actuary actually do? The job is quite complex, according to an article on Etched Actuarial. The article explains that “an actuary uses large amounts of data along with their expertise in statistics and finance to determine how much money should be set aside now in order to pay for costly events that may randomly occur in the future.”

In short, an actuary is usually a job in the world of finance and insurance that uses math to predict the future. While that’s that, how is the aspiring actuary holding up on the baseball front?

A look at Palazzolo’s on-field performance

Coming back to the field, the Fairfield National won the game 4-2 at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. Brian Palazzolo pitched 0.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 1 batter. Starter Charlie McCullough took the win with 2 innings pitched and allowing 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 2. Tommy D’Amura went  3.1 scoreless innings without allowing any hits and striking out four.

And Brian Palazzolo, the manager’s son, is a versatile player. He reached base on a bunt in a previous game against a tough Nevada team and later scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning for the team.

And his team, Fairfield National, had a fantastic run in the tournament this season. They finished the Williamsport, Pennsylvania classic with a 5-1 record. Their only loss came against the Mountain Region representative, Las Vegas, Nevada, 8-2 on Saturday. They even outscored opponents with an impressive 25-6 before their only loss.

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But in the end, that simple “fun fact” provided one of the most memorable moments of the entire tournament. So next time a kid surprises you with a unique career choice, listen closely — you might hear the future in plain, simple words.