RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Garrett Larkin has deep roots in Medfield, Massachusetts, a small New England town 17 miles southwest of Boston.
In 1935, his Irish grandparents moved to the town of about 13,000 and started a wine shop, which is still in existence today as the oldest business in the area.
Garrett graduated from Medfield High as a standout baseball player and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and played five years in the minor leagues with, and against, famous baseball names such as Rickey Henderson, Jose Lima, Pete Rose, Jr. and dozens more.
After his playing days ended in 2003, the father of two daughters joined the IT world and has sold data storage technologies for the last 20 years. He and his family have also lived across the country—at one point, Garrett opened a training facility in the South—but today is back in his hometown and starting a new softball program.
“I’m a small town dude,” the former athlete explains, “and I want to help my kids have fun in the sport while helping provide opportunities for players to develop and compete in our area.”
With one of his girls entering her freshman year of high school and the other in 7th grade, he knows the clock is ticking.
“Soon they’ll be in high school and I’ll be in the stands watching,” Garret laughs.
Starting this Monday, Garrett will be overseeing tryouts for the newly created Marucci Patriots Northeast team, which has a half dozen spots still open. The coach says they’re looking for pitchers and catchers—“isn’t everyone?” he jokes—and is excited to build a new program in the Northeast.
“I’m hoping to build a really good team that plays 18U in the New England area and competes at 16U nationally, going to places like Boulder IDT and Diamond9 in Orlando.”
Through his connections in the South, Garrett met Darrell Landry, the head of the Marucci Patriots based in Louisiana, and father of former LSU standout Bailey Landry, and the two quickly struck up a friendship.
After having coached at the 10U, 12U and 14U levels in the Rhode Island Thunder organization, a nationally reputable and successful program led by Dave Lotti, Garrett was offered the opportunity to expand the Patriots into Massachusetts by Landry.
“Darrell is not only my new boss, he is my mentor and he’s an amazing one at that, and I firmly believe he will help me get better and that’s a great feeling when your dropping into a glade you’ve never skied before. That’s how I am looking at this challenge right now.”
The Marucci Patriots Northeast will train at Planet Fastpitch and the Shonda Schilling Fastpitch Softball Complex, built thanks to donations by Shonda Schilling, the wife of former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, when the family lived in Medfield during the World Series hero’s time with Boston.
“We are really excited to see what Garrett will bring to the table for our Marucci Patriots organization,” Landry stated. “We all know he was a great baseball player back in his day, but he’s been coaching fastpitch now for a while, and I personally think he loves coaching our game even more than baseball.”
“We truly feel that the sky is the limit with this new partnership, and we are excited to be expanding our influence on the East Coast,” Landry continued. “As a result of our new partnership, Marucci Patriots Northeast will now offer a national level playing option for folks in the metro Boston and greater New England area.”
“The Marucci Patriots Northeast will build a schedule that will challenge our players and coaches but at the same time, not bankrupt our parents.
Coach Larkin will guide our new club through a blend of national and regional events, with the focus on improving our players and helping them understand where they’re game will fit at the next level, and knowing Garrett like I do, I think he will exceed our expectations in his new role.”
Since 2012, the Patriots have produced 72 college signees and all seniors have signed to play college softball. Garrett knows there are high expectations, but he’s excited for the opportunity.
“Medfield is a big lacrosse town,” the coach admits, “and softball not a big sport in the area so we’re trying to create an opportunity to get more people hopped up on softball.”
One big emphasis for the new team will be keeping costs down for players and their families.
Whereas a typical national team can incur individual player expenses upwards of $10,000, the Patriots Northeast program will strive to keep costs under $2,000 per family per year.
“Call me crazy,” Garrett laughs, “but spending $10K in tournament budgets and $10K in other things like fields, fees, resources, and equipment is not what we want to do. We won’t play on a national level every single weekend and bankrupt our families, but instead will play a couple nationals and help our kids stay local with the emphasis on getting better while challenging themselves in areas where we need to improve.”
“I always tell my players: our first goal is to make you a player that your middle school or high school coach loves to have on his or her roster. Let’s achieve that first.”
Larkin says he’s excited about the direction his team is headed and he has—and is looking for more—top talent to make the softball journey the best it can be for his team.
“It will be busy but it will be a blast and I can’t wait,” he exclaims. “Plus having great kids with great parents is everything and right now with the players I have signed for 2021, I have that and I feel extremely lucky.”
Then, thinking about the Patriots’ future and what he looks to achieve, he predicts a fun ride ahead.
“We’re not just starting a new team,” he concludes. “We’re starting a new chapter of softball in New England.”
For players and families interested in trying out at the team tryouts Monday, August 17, Wednesday, August 19 or Monday, August 24, 2020, contact Garrett directly by phone at 508-310-3599 or email at [email protected]. You can also get more info on the Marucci Patriots Northeast Facebook Page. Coach Larkin will also be doing individual tryouts for those who can’t make one of the dates in the next week.
Here’s more info on the tryouts…
