WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It's a chilly, winter evening in 2011, and 19-year old Ryan Trubee has just embarked on his first-ever date with a girl. The two are ready for a night filled with food, laughter, and bowling.

There is a third wheel on this date, however, in the form of Dominic Porretta, Ryan's friend whom he met three years prior in a home economics class at Thomas Worthington High School. Trubee, a boy with autism, was in the class to work on peer inclusion while the straight-A Porretta was easing through his last semester of high school.

"Nobody was working with him, so I thought it made sense to team up," Porretta said. "We developed a friendship and the next thing I know, his parents are asking me to become a care provider."

Trubee, who communicates at the level of a young child, and Porretta, a standout student-athlete, had formed an instant connection that has grown even stronger today.

Now a senior left-handed pitcher at Otterbein University, Porretta is ready to conclude a four-year stretch that has seen him affect the lives of many.
  On the diamond, Porretta has blossomed into one of the team's top pitchers, making 48 career appearances and compiling a 2.05 E.R.A this season to go along with four saves.

Porretta has made an even stronger impact off the diamond, becoming President of Otterbein's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), working as a student assistant in the Sports Information Office, and obtaining various jobs or internships with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Columbus Parks and Recreation, Autism Society of Ohio and the Otterbein Academic Support Center.

In addition, he and fellow pitcher Jon Cheyney decided to team together and coach a local YMCA youth basketball team over the winter.

"In my fifteen years as an administrator, I have never witnessed another student-athlete as service oriented as Dom," Otterbein Director of Athletics Dawn Stewart said. "He is selfless, a strong communicator and a leader amongst his peers. His ability to coordinate activities is a clear demonstration of his leadership skills."

Countless people have been positively affected from their relationship with Porretta over the years, but nobody has enjoyed a better four-year run than Trubee.

"I truly believe it was God that brought Ryan and Dominic, and now our families, together for this unique but special situation," said Kim Trubee, Ryan's mother. "We feel so fortunate to have met someone that has their priorities straight like he does."

When most college kids are spending their weekend nights out and about on the social scene, you can usually find Porretta spending time with his "best bud" Ryan. The two commonly meet up at least once per weekend to venture to the movies, Steak and Shake, Barnes and Noble or each other's houses just to relax and catch up. After all, they are each considered part of the other's family.

"It's an awesome experience like no other," Porretta said. "I can have a really tough week, schoolwork could stress me out or I may not pitch as well in a baseball game, and it would be natural to want to just lay around on your free time and unwind. But I go hang out with Ryan on the weekend and leave completely transformed."

Not that Porretta needed refreshing, but developing a friendship with Trubee has allowed him to always keep life in perspective.

"You can have the worst day, but go hang out with Ryan at night and you will leave in a completely different mood," Porretta explained. "He always keeps you in the right state of mind because he's 100 percent an optimist. Going to Steak and Shake and the movies is like winning the lottery for him. When I see that excitement, I can't ever be upset about something smaller I have going on. If anyone would have something to be upset about, it's Ryan… but he never is."

As a result of his time with Ryan, Porretta became increasingly involved with Connie Warner and The Alternative Center in Sunbury, Ohio. From there, it was the Miracle Baseball League.

Porretta quickly came up with an idea to partner the Miracle League with his Otterbein baseball program. Despite being a bit nervous, he compiled a presentation to give to his teammates, none of which had any experience working around kids with disabilities. The players quickly overcame any nerves, jumped in head first and were signing up for more time slots than what was initially discussed by the end of the first month.

"Our guys see how excited the Miracle League kids are to just play the game of baseball," Porretta said. "It makes it easy for us to understand how blessed we are to play the game, and makes it really difficult to complain about getting up for an early workout or a long road stretch."

The Cardinal coaching staff couldn't be prouder.

"Watching my players grow from working with the Miracle League and Alternative Center has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my 14 years of coaching," head coach George Powell said. "I think a lot of people, deep down, want to help others less fortunate, but they may be timid or unaware of how to get involved. Dom's direction and leadership put us in that position. Ultimately, those kids have given us far more than anything we could have done for them."
  When you wipe away Porretta's community service and extracurricular activities, his friendship with Ryan has always remained at the core.

"Ryan never really had his own friends," Kim Trubee explained. "He has a great relationship with his younger brother, Colin, and I think he always just looked at Colin's friends as his own. But Dominic was really Ryan's first friend. You could tell right away that Ryan took proud ownership and felt, 'hey, this is MY friend.' He had his own buddy that he was hanging out with by himself, without his brother."

Porretta, who will graduate Summa Cum Laude on May 19 with a bachelor's degree in Journalism, was accepted by both Purdue University and The Ohio State University for graduate school. While multiple factors weighed in on the decision, Porretta couldn't help but think of the opportunity to be around Ryan for at least another two years. He will start school at Ohio State in the fall.

Before that, Porretta will be playing in a Canadian baseball league this summer, but he and Ryan have already made plans to Skype and write one another letters. Porretta knows the distance will be nothing more than a slight challenge, considering everything the duo has already experienced together.

Which brings us back to Ryan's bowling date with a girl from his special education class, where it wasn't Porretta's first time hanging in the background. A few months prior, he convinced and then accompanied Ryan to attend his first-ever high school homecoming dance, and in 2012, Porretta was able to stop by and see Ryan take pictures before his senior prom.

Or just this past winter, when the two were out to dinner and Porretta was working with Ryan on paying a bill and leaving a tip at a restaurant. He explained that Ryan should hand the waitress the money and say "keep the change." When the waitress came back and asked if they were all set, Ryan paused before saying "we don't have any money." He quickly transitioned to say "keep the change," all while continuing to laugh.

"It was his way of telling a joke," explained Porretta, who was also present for Ryan's high school graduation. "It was tough to get a 'yes' or 'no' out of him when we started four years ago, let alone do activities. Now he's going on dates and making jokes with waitresses. Those moments have let me know that he will be just fine."

Ryan, donning his favorite Otterbein baseball hat given to him by the coaching staff, has been known to start chants while attending games to see his mentor in uniform. This Saturday, Ryan will be joining Porretta and his family to walk out on the field for Senior Day.

Regardless of what happens in either of their lives from here on out, the two have formed a bond that appears unbreakable.

"The fact is that I won't be a care provider forever, but we will always be a part of each other's lives," Porretta said. "I've met a lifelong friend that I know I will still have a relationship with 40 years from now."