Chaminade pitcher Daniel Caniano will take a step toward realizing his childhood dreams this summer when he heads for West Point as a cadet.
“I wanted to play professional baseball when I was little,” Caniano said. “I always wanted to be in the Army from when I was about 10.”
He said his early aspirations would shift with the seasons.
With a fastball in a range between 88 miles per hour and 92 miles per hour, the young East Williston right-hander drew attention from both college and professional scouts. He had a problem over the past two years with a growth plate in his elbow that didn’t fuse, causing him to lose sensation in his elbow and his shoulder. So he only started several games in his junior and senior year at Chaminade, compiling 1-1 records both years. He finished his senior season as a reliever, but his starts early on included a sparkling three-hit 1-0 shutout of the Kellenberg Memorial High School team.
“I didn’t become the pitcher I am now until this year. I got a lot better. I could throw hard,” he said.
Caniano started getting “looks” from colleges in the fall of his junior and started receiving offers from top colleges last spring. Based on his interest in a military career, he sent videotapes of himself to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Navy Naval Academy at Annapolis. He said scouts from both academies offered him “spots” based on seeing him pitch last fall for Next Level, a combination of two Long Island travel teams, in a Florida showcase tournament.
“They both basically told me if I wanted to play, I could,” Caniano said.
He said was contacted by NCAA Division I schools with strong baseball programs, including the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia. He was also contacted by Harvard and Princeton. And he said he was offered “full rides” from St. John’s University, Fordham University and the University of Delaware.
Caniano subsequently played in another showcase in Georgia in July, and Duke University expressed an interest. But he’d already been having weekly conversations with Army coach Joe Sottolano. He said Sottolano was building a relationship with hi, asking him about his family and talking with him about baseball.
“Playing there takes a lot out of you mentally,” Caniano said about the Army baseball team. “He wanted to make sure I was ready for it and that my family will support me.”
Once Caniano committed to Army last July, he said “that was just the beginning of the process of applying to the academy.” He made the decision after consulting with his family and resisting his father, East Williston dentist Dr. Daniel Caniano, who was pulling for Fordham, his alma mater. Fordham was an option Caniano wrestled with.
“They offered me a lot of money, so I had to consider it,” he said.
But his father knew where his son’s sights were set.
“I figured it was going to be Army or Navy,” the elder Caniano said. “We’re very honored.”
A member of the National Honor Society, his transcript reflected a 94 average during his Chaminade career. He took a physical and was interviewed by representatives of New York Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola). McCarthy ultimately nominated him for a spot in the freshman class at West Point.
He leaves for basic training at West Point on Sunday, entering a period of several weeks when he will be incommunicado with the outside world, except for writing letters.
“It’s exciting. I want to be in special forces. I’m playing high end baseball at a high end school. There was no reason for me not to go to the military academy,” Caniano said.
Mathematics and science are his favorite subjects and he said he wants to study either nuclear or mechanical engineering.
After he finishes his studies at West Point, he said he will likely commit to seven years of active duty, with an option on which Army branch he wants to join, depending on his class rank, physical condition and a more intangible ranking of honor among his classmates. He hopes to gain placement in the infantry and go to Ranger school and perhaps Green Beret school. He could also opt for five years active duty and three years in the reserves instead of the seven-year commitment.
He said he is clear and unafraid of the service prospects he could face after his post-graduate training as a commissioned officer.
“If I go to war. I will. I want to fight,” Caniano said. “For anyone going into the Army, I think we all know what can happen and we have no problem in performing the tasks we’re called on to do.”
But before he reaches that stage, there’s more baseball ahead along with his West Point training. The baseball season starts in fall with scrimmage games.
“That’s when they make decisions on who’s starting,” he said.
Physical training follows in the winter and then he said the team starts its season to play teams in the in February. Fordham is also on Army’s schedule.
Caniano credits two coaches, Paul Carufe from his Titans travel team, and Neal Heaton, his Chaminade coach, for helping him mature as a pitcher.
“He was like my best friend,” he said of Heaton.
But his priorities on why he’s going to West Point are clear to him, beyond any future aspirations he has in baseball.
“Baseball’s good. But four years from now, people will be looking to me for leadership,” Caniano said.
