File Photo Toronto grad and Ohio State alum Nate Karaffa was drafted Monday by the Philadelphia Phillies.

When one has had as long and successful of a coaching career as Toronto’s Brian Perkins, there are not many things to be experienced for the first time.

One of those rare instances occurred on Tuesday when the veteran baseball coach, following a draft tracker on his cell phone while out of town at a summer ball tournament, saw the name of one of his former players pop up as the next selection.

That player was former Red Knight and current Ohio State Buckeye Nate Karaffa, who was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

“I’m so happy for Nate and his family,” Perkins said. “This is the first time we’ve had a player get drafted. We’ve had a lot of great players come through Toronto, but it’s so hard to reach that next level and Nate was able to do that (Tuesday). It’s so very exciting.”

Karaffa, who played an integral role in Toronto’s run to the 2019 Division IV state championship and was named the state Player of the Year in the Division that season among many other accolades, was selected as a pitcher by Philadelphia after going 3-1 and making 25 appearances as a junior out of the Buckeyes’ bullpen this past season.

However, the former top short stop prospect in the state’s path to be selected as a hurler actually started in the Ohio State outfield before time in the infield and eventually on the mound.

Karaffa played primarily in center as a freshman with Ohio State and then played in left and at second base as a sophomore before moving to the pen.

The ability on the mound was always there, though, as he had a stellar pitching career in Toronto, including firing a complete game, 12K gem in the 2019 state championship.

“Nate went there as a top-ranked short stop, there was an opening in the outfield and they asked him to move and he jumped on it,” Perkins said.

“He had a chance to get on the infield and eventually the mound. He’s the kind of kid that will do whatever he can to help the team. He’s the ultimate team player.

“He got on the mound and showed what he could do and obviously did one heck-of-a job.”

The willingness to do whatever the team needs came as no surprise to Perkins, who saw first hand the former three-sport standout in the Gem City do whatever the team needed.

“Nate is the consummate team player,” Perkins said. “People talk about good things happening to kids who work hard and Nate it the perfect example of that.”

On top of his ability on the field and work ethic, Perkins was happy to see a quality person get rewarded. Karaffa was an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete in 2020 and 2021 and was named to the All-Big Ten Academic Team in 2021.

“It 100 percent makes it that much more special that it happened to such a great person,” Perkins said. “He set such a great example of hard work and dedication. He’s a leader.”

As for the impact having a player drafted can have on the already successful program, Perkins hopes it shows the guys wearing the same uniform that Karaffa once donned what is possible for kids from the small, baseball-loving town along the Ohio River.

“The first thing I did was send a group text out to our team and told them that a former Toronto Red Knight just got drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies,” Perkins said. “The response back from the kids was phenomenal. The (Red Knights’ summer team) is at a tournament right now and I think they were just as excited or more excited than I was.

“They really look up to Nate and he is a leader to them. It means a lot to the program, it shows kids that hard work pays off and they can achieve their goals.”