Parents on both sides, surrounded by friends, coaches, his principal, Athletic Director, and a banner with the Millionaires logo spread across it.

This was the situation Williamsport’s Kyle Caringi faced as he prepared to sign his letter of intent to attend St. Bonaventure University on National Signing Day in the library of Williamsport High School. It was a proud moment. A nervous one. One that simply set his life on a track that would be more and more familiar to him as he progressed.

Caringi will carry on a tradition that started with his parents Nick and Kristin when they both attended St. Bonaventure. Years later his sister would attend the University as a softball player. Now, Kyle will attend to play baseball and be coached by the same man who coached his father when he was just a walk-on at the University.

“I’ve been thinking about this moment ever since I saw three of my teammates do it last year,” Caringi said. “I thought I was going to be there one day. I think about my freshman year. I don’t think I would have played in college if I didn’t go through my freshman year. It helped me become the person I am now.”

Caringi faced a situation most aspiring athletes face at some point in their young careers. He entered his freshman season undersized. He was shorter than most of his teammates, and his body didn’t seem to build muscle in the same way.

He was concerned and unsure if he would be able to continue to play if he didn’t grow into his body. He spent countless hours in the gym and finally hit a growth spurt that sent him over six feet.

“I started to see him grow, but when you see him every day you don’t really notice it,” Nick Caringi said. “Probably last year when he began to pitch varsity when I saw him walk out I started to see how big he was. When you stand next to him, you don’t notice it, but when you see how big he is compared to the other players and how much he has filled out you start to think it could happen for him. My advice for him was just to stay patient.”

Kyle stayed patient throughout his first two years on the team, but once he was a junior, he quickly started to take advantage of the chances given to him.
Caringi appeared in 12 games for the Millionaires, winning three games against just one loss. He finished the season with an ERA of .97 and earned 26 strikeouts against 129 batters faced. It was exactly the type of season he needed as he attempted to impress coaches at the next level. Once the work was in the choice was easy as Caringi elected to continue his family’s tradition at St. Bonaventure University.

“It’s kind of a surreal moment,” Kyle Caringi said. “I never thought it would turn out this way. At the end of the day I got here, and I’m happy about it. I feel good about it.”