Karaffa officially signs with Ohio State
TORONTO — It took nearly 19 months to become official, but it was well worth the wait for Nate Karaffa.
The Toronto High School senior, who verbally committed to play baseball at Ohio State University in April, was finally able to put pen to paper and officially became a Buckeye Wednesday morning.
“It feels great,” Karaffa said. “Growing up, every kid wants to go to Ohio State and play sports. To have this opportunity to go there is a dream come true.”
Karaffa, a lifelong Ohio State fan, will play middle infield with the Buckeyes.
“It’s been a childhood dream for me,” he said. “Growing up watching the Buckeyes play football and talking about the Buckeyes, the opportunity I get to play for that university is something I can’t pass up.”
He finished his junior season with a .494 batting average, 24 RBIs, 13 doubles, three triples, a home run and 20 stolen bases at the plate. He recorded five wins, a 3.02 ERA and 49 strikeouts on the mound, earning first-team All-Ohio, first-team All-Eastern District and first-team All-OVAC honors.
“It is like a big family,” Karaffa said of the Buckeyes’ program. “The coaches really made me feel comfortable. The players, when I went on my official visit, made me feel good. The feel of the campus is just great. Everybody is in it together. It is somewhere that I want to be for the next four years.”
Playing in the Big Ten is another aspect that excites Karaffa.
“Absolutely it is exciting,” Karaffa said.
“Going from a small school to playing in the Big Ten is big jump, but it’s definitely something I want to do. The program here has prepared me. Coach (Brian) Perkins and his staff have done a great job. I would not be where I am at without coach Perkins.”
Karaffa will join another Red Knight in Columbus with coach Greg Beals’ program. A Toronto grad and longtime teammate of Karaffa’s, Nolan Clegg signed with the Buckeyes last year.
“That will be great,” Karaffa said of re-joining Clegg. “Nolan and I have been great friends for a long time, growing up playing baseball together.”
Karaffa is a multi-sport standout for Toronto, having been named third-team All-Ohio in football in 2017 and, most recently, an All-Eastern District special mention for his 2018 season that was limited by an injury to just four games. He set school records for passing yards and touchdowns during his football career, and was a first-team All-Eastern District selection last season on the basketball team.
He is happy to have the injury behind him and the Buckeyes in his future.
“It was definitely on my mind,” he said of the baseball opportunity during football season.
“Everyone was talking about it. I knew I would get healthy. It was just a little setback I had to bounce back from. Now it feels like I never got hurt and it feels great.”
He also gave a lot of credit to his family and his Red Knight teammates.
“I definitely wouldn’t be here without them,” he said.
“They put in a lot of time and sacrifice for me. I would not be here without my teammates, either. Growing up, playing with them every day makes baseball fun.”
His coach could not be happier for him.
“It is very exciting,” Perkins said. “We are very excited for Nate and his family. What an opportunity to go play in the Big Ten. Nate is a hard worker on and off the field. He excels in the classroom. He deserves all of this. He is great kid from a great family. We have had a lot of good times and a lot of great memories. I am looking forward to his senior season with us.
“We know he will go to Ohio State and represent the community of Toronto very well.”
For the Toronto program, Karaffa’s signing marks not just the second-straight year with an Ohio State commitment, but also the third-consecutive with a Division I signing with Blaze Glenn at Youngstown State University.
“It says a lot about the kids of the past to have built this program up to where it is and allow Nate and some other kids to have the opportunity to play at the next level,” Perkins said. “It says a lot about our program, the coaches and the community of Toronto.
“It always is (motivating for the rest of the team). I like to believe our kids always have the opportunity to go to the next level if they dedicate themselves and work hard. We take a lot of pride in that. There is nothing more gratifying to a coach than to see his kids go play collegiately, or even professionally.”
(Grimm can be reached at agrimm@heraldstaronline.com. For local sports updates, follow us on Twitter @HSDTsports.)