After years of hard work, Cole Caruso finally got the call he’d been hoping for since he was a kid.
On the other line, former assistant coach Ben Greenspan told him everything he wanted to hear: the Michigan baseball team was offering him a scholarship.
But in the 20 years leading up to that long-awaited call, the now-junior third baseman had already built a deep connection with the Wolverines.
Growing up in Scottsdale, Ariz., Cole was always an athlete. Along with his two brothers and father, Joe, he developed a love for baseball. The youngest of three boys, Cole viewed his older brothers as role models and wanted to follow in their footsteps.
“Both of my older brothers both played baseball,” Cole told The Michigan Daily. “Primarily just baseball. One of my brothers played a little bit of football. But for me, my oldest brother is nine years older than me. Other one is five-and-a-half (years older), so I always went to their games. Like (I) would throw the baseball around while they’re playing.”
And by observing his brothers, he fell in love with baseball. But perhaps more important than his affinity for the diamond was his love for Michigan.
With Joe growing up in Michigan, Cole was well acquainted with the Wolverines’ culture. By observing his father’s love for everything associated with the maize and blue, he soon followed suit. Whether it was watching a football game or hearing “The Victors” fight song, Joe loved Michigan. And soon enough, so did Cole.
“My dad grew up outside of (Ann Arbor),” Cole said. “So he showed me and my two older brothers everything about Michigan. Watching sporting events, just how important the school was academically and athletically. So when I was … growing up in total, my dream was to be here and play for the maize and blue … because of the memories I had as a kid.”
With memories of throwing around the football by the golf course and showing his fandom at Michigan baseball games in Arizona, Cole’s love for the Wolverines grew. But as a multi-sport athlete, playing football and basketball in addition to baseball, Cole knew he’d have to pick one to go Division I with Michigan. Over the course of high school, he decided to give up everything else and solely focus on baseball. With his eyes set on the diamond, Cole honed in on the sport that mattered the most to him.
