THUNDER BAY – For many players a season with the Thunder Bay Border Cats means spending their summer in a new country.
For Carter McEachern, it’s an opportunity to suit up for his hometown.
The 20-year-old McEachern, who recently completed his junior season at Trinity University in Texas, is in the middle of his third campaign in the Northwoods League with the Border Cats.
“It’s always a pleasure to come and play in front of a crowd like this,” he said after his team’s 5-4 walk-off victory against the Alexandria Blue Anchors last Friday night.
“Things have been going great and I hope to keep it going for the rest of the season.”
Acting manager Lou Bernardi said McEachern has become an asset to the entire team in more ways than one.
With so many American players who are just getting used to being in Canada, having that local presence plays a big part in bridging the culture gap.
“He helps in not being a tour guide but someone you can call when you need something off the baseball field. Carter’s role on the team is much more than just a baseball player,” Bernardi said.
That’s not to say he hasn’t made his presence felt on the diamond, where through 10 games he’s hitting for a .359 average with six runs batted in and his first career summer league home run.
Even though it’s only a couple weeks into the campaign, McEachern has already had more at-bats than in his first two years put together.
In 2013, after his freshman season, he got his feet wet by appearing in 10 games and taking 30 at-bats, where he recorded 10 hits.
Last year he got off to a strong start, with four hits in nine at-bats in the first handful of contests, before getting drilled by a pitch which broke a bone in his arm.
That sidelined McEachern for the rest of the summer and forced him to work hard to rehabilitate the injury to be ready for the upcoming collegiate season.
Despite the injury, he had a strong season at Trinity. In 52 games McEachern finished with a .328 batting average to go along with 16 extra-base hits and 25 runs batted in.
Bernardi said McEachern’s attitude and ability to do multiple things on the field are assets to the club.
“He’s filled a couple of roles for us as a left-handed bat in the lineup and as a defender either at third or second base,” Bernardi said.
“He does the little things right. He’s great to put a bunt down or hit the ball the other way.”
One of the most important attributes McEachern brings to the table is defensive versatility.
While he predominantly plays third base in college, he has been called upon to play at second in a few games with Thunder Bay and hasn’t missed a beat.
McEachern knows it’s important to be able to serve in multiple capacities.
“To be versatile is always great, especially in the infield. Being able to play all the positions is especially key,” he said.
“It just takes some time getting used to and some extra fungo before practice and a little more heightened focus before each pitch to make sure you’re zeroed in on every at-bat.”
The Border Cats return to Tbaytel Park on Saturday where they host the Mankato MoonDogs with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
