Buck joined the Railroaders on June 11 as a true rookie out of Cal State San Marcos. He recorded a hit in each of his first four professional games, and provided a number of clutch hits over the course of his 60 contests in a Railroaders uniform. In just his third game with the club, Buck delivered a two-out, two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Cleburne to a 7-6 win over the Kansas City T-Bones. On July 4, he connected for a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh inning against the Chicago Dogs to help the ‘Roaders rally for an 11-8 win.

For the season, Buck produced a .280/.362/.385 slash line, recording 16 doubles, two triples and one home run. Seven times he racked up three hits in a game, setting a career-high with four RBI against the Sioux Falls Canaries on August 18. His first professional long ball came against the Milwaukee Milkmen on July 10. Among true rookies who played in at least 50 games, only Graham Low of Sioux Falls and Tom Walraven of Gary SouthShore posted a higher OPS than Buck’s .747.

Buck arrived in Cleburne after finishing his college career at Cal State San Marcos, starting all 50 games with the Cougars in 2019. He hit .335 with a team-leading 10 home runs, 104 total bases and 29 walks, posting a .997 OPS as the club’s primary first baseman. A native of Carlsbad, California, Buck was named Second Team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association following his senior season at CSUSM. He finished fourth in the CCAA in runs scored and fifth in home runs.

The 6’6 left-handed hitter started his career with two seasons at Palomar College, hitting .371 as a sophomore to catch the attention of Houston Baptist, where he transferred as a junior. Buck hit .284 with five doubles and four home runs in 44 games while with the Huskies, earning All-Southland Tournament Team honors after going 9-19 with a pair of home runs and seven RBI.