Transfers Ralph Gariano and Joey Esposito support baseball team as dynamic duo

Senior pitcher Ralph Gariano and junior catcher Joey Esposito transferred to Lehigh in fall 2024 to continue their baseball careers after setbacks from injuries.

Gariano committed to the College of the Holy Cross the summer before his senior year of high school but tore his labrum that fall. The injury was more severe than expected and sidelined him for two years.

“I tried out for the team, but by the end of the fall, I was ultimately released because the pain in my shoulder just could not go away,” Gariano said. 

He redshirted his first year at Holy Cross. Although he was told his shoulder would be healed by the summer, it didn’t improve.

Esposito faced a similar path. He said he went unrecruited throughout high school despite contacting many programs.  

He then enrolled at Rutgers University and tried out as a walk-on.

“I was kind of at the bottom of the totem pole (at Rutgers),” Esposito said. “By the end of that season, I had a realization that my career wouldn’t have much of an impact on the team there.”

At the end of his first year, he was injured and received discouraging feedback from the coaching staff.

“(The coaches) were telling me it’d be a long route to get onto the field,” Esposito said. 

Both Gariano and Esposito entered the transfer portal.

Coach Sean Leary said Lehigh’s less active in the portal than other programs, but both players were seeking new opportunities. 

Leary said the two separately reached out and expressed interest in joining the program, with the admissions process posing the biggest challenge. 

After being admitted, the pair arrived at orientation as roommates and teammates after only one phone call.

Gariano said Esposito was the first person he met at Lehigh.

“I was really happy that (Gariano) had a story similar to mine,” Esposito said. “(Gariano) had a difficult injury to overcome that had made his time at Holy Cross really difficult. It was similar to my walk-on situation, along with my injury. We had a lot of obstacles to overcome together, and we bonded over those.” 

Since both had been injured for much of their collegiate careers, they experienced their first full fall season together.

“We both knew we were going to be new to this whole thing,” Gariano said. “It was just kind of cool for us to experience together, (and) it was cool to have a friend to go through this kind of introductory process at a new school together.” 

Esposito said their shared experiences helped them build a connection and stay committed despite past setbacks.

Gariano said those moments have carried over into their play this season, which shows in their progress.

“(Gariano) has actually emerged a little bit this year into a pretty key weekend reliever for us, which is awesome,” Leary said. “(And Esposito), he’s been a very valuable part of our team. They just showed up the first day, and were like, ‘I know if I earn it, I’m going to be out there.’” 

Gariano said the two support each other on and off the field.

“There (are) times I’ll be throwing (to Esposito) and he’ll catch my pitches and he provides really honest feedback to me,” Gariano said. “If I don’t have a great day, he’ll be able to tell me, and if he doesn’t have a great day back there, I’ll be able to tell him.” 

Gariano said having Esposito as a teammate and roommate made the transition to Lehigh easier. 

“Having someone else to join me, and even be my roommate, provided another resource to be able to belong here at Lehigh,” Gariano said.