It’s the bottom of the fifth inning of the final game of a three game set between Georgia State and Northeastern April 22 at Friedman Diamond. Senior second baseman Garrett Chin steps in with one out and hits a grounder to second base.
While many players would simply drop their bat and go through the motions running to first, Chin tucks his head and flies down the line, sliding head first into the bag, barely beating out the throw. After scoring later that inning on a two-out double by senior Josh Porter, Chin promptly hustles back to his position at second for the top of the sixth.
It’s plays like these that baseball coaches love to see out of their players. But unfortunately for Chin, hustle and determination weren’t enough during his first three-and-a-half years as a Husky.
A native of New Bedford, Chin redshirted his freshman year in 2003 and served as a pinch runner and utility player for the next three years, seeing action in only 36 games from 2004-2005, including just one start.
“Any athlete wants to play,” he said, admitting he was a little frustrated about his lack of playing time, but didn’t want his teammates to see his discouragement.
“[It just] made me worker harder in the weight room and every game I kept ready, [hoping to get in],” he said.
For the first half of the 2007 season, it was much of the same story. But that all changed April 3 against cross-town rival Boston College. Northeastern dropped the game 10-3, but Chin made the start at third base despite having an arm injury that hampered his throwing ability.
“[Head coach Neil McPhee] was very impressed with what I did [in the BC game] and what I brought to the table,” Chin said.
From that point on, Chin began to earn more regular playing time, often starting the Huskies’ non-conference games during the week. But his hot hitting soon forced McPhee to pencil Chin’s name in the lineup more and more, and he emerged as the Huskies’s regular second baseman instead of redshirt freshmen Brendan Stokes and Dave Fisher.
“Coach said I’m the one that kept myself in the lineup,” Chin said.
He had his first multi-hit game as a Husky in Northeastern’s 11-2 win at Winthtrop April 11, going 2-3 with a double and an RBI.
In the first round of the Beanpot Tournament at Fenway Park, Chin went 2-3 with a double and two RBI and the Huskies steamrolled UMass 17-6.
In the Huskies 17-12 win against UMass, Chin produced an almost perfect line from the leadoff spot, 2-3 with two walks and five runs scored.
Overall, he hit .279 (19-68) with six RBI and three doubles in 31 games (23 starts) this season. He posted a robust .416 on base percentage, good for second on the team behind sophomore slugger Mike Tamsin. This came after getting just 15 at bats in his first three seasons, posting a .200 batting average.
“You gotta be so happy for a guy who works his tail off for five years,” said McPhee after the April 22 game where Chin also executed a perfect suicide squeeze, complete with a head first slide into first base, to give NU an insurance run in their eventual 7-1 victory.
“He is the classic case of an overachiever, [with] the work ethic, nobody on this team has a work ethic like Garrett and he never ever, ever gave up mentally or physically trying to get himself in the lineup, and now he’s there and he’s doing the job. Everybody is happy for him,” McPhee said.
Chin, who will leave in two weeks to get his master’s degree in athletic training from Ohio State, served as a mentor to the Huskies group of young infielders, including Fisher, Stokes, sophomore James Donaldson and redshirt freshman Brian Roberts.
“I’m glad I got the opportunity to show my teammates how the game should be played,” he said.
