Mike Glavine doesn’t consider himself a risk taker.
He’s unlikely to gamble on an out-of-state recruit he’s only seen play once or twice, and you’d never catch him diving into the transfer portal without a clear plan.
The Northeastern coach would rather stick to what he knows: New England. As a result, he’s transformed a school in a cold-weather state into a powerhouse in college baseball — a sport typically dominated by universities in the South.
After going 48-9 and winning the CAA tournament, the Huskies are set to make their third NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 when they take on Mississippi State in the Tallahassee Regional Friday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+).
Unlike many other teams in the tournament, the Huskies don’t have new, multimillion-dollar facilities, access to cutting-edge technology, or dozens of uniform combinations. They take a bus from campus to their field in Brookline for practice. For the first few months of the season, they play in the cold, and they’re one of five Division 1 programs that has to share its field.
Glavine, now in his 11th year, knows Northeastern isn’t a top destination for many out-of-state recruits. So rather than trying to change the minds of players from across the country, Glavine keeps his sights on what’s right in front of him: a region of underrated and oft-overlooked talent.
“I believe that the local player is gritty,” he said. “He’s tough. He can play in our weather. He didn’t grow up playing on the best fields or with all the best facilities. And so they tend to have that blue-collar mentality that we like here at Northeastern. We really try to do the best we can in our own backyard.”
Of the 42 players on Northeastern’s roster, 29 hail from New England. Glavine said recruiting locally makes it easier to build strong relationships with players and their coaches, rather than relying on external evaluations or taking the word of a coach he’s never met, Glavine can see his prospective players on the field as often as he wants.
Even when local recruits choose another program, Glavine’s work isn’t over. He’s selective in his use of the transfer portal, only pursuing players with whom he has a relationship.
Infielder Jack Goodman, for example, chose Pepperdine over Northeastern after graduating from Medfield High School. He made 35 appearances for the Waves before entering the transfer portal, where Glavine leveraged his existing relationship with Goodman to bring him back to New England.
Glavine also keeps a close eye on Division 2 and 3 programs in New England, scooping up the best players who enter the portal looking to take the next step.
“When we’re looking at transfers, we don’t necessarily want them coming from really big programs with all the bells and whistles, because that’s not going to work here,” he said. “It’s about grit, it’s about blue collar, it’s about hard work, and that type of mentality.”
But while he prioritizes building a homegrown roster, Glavine, who grew up in Billerica and attended Northeastern before a brief stint in the major leagues, wants to ensure his team is playing a national schedule to increase visibility, which he hopes will translate into opportunities for his players after college.
He seeks out games against “better” programs, including teams in the Power 4 conferences (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12). The Huskies played series at Hawaii and San Diego State this year, and they swept Kansas State at home — on top of going 25-2 in conference play.
“We might not have these million-dollar facilities and all this technology, but we make do with what we have, and I think we show that every time we’re out on the field,” said righthander Aiven Cabral, who grew up in Lynn and played at St. Mary’s.
Cabral, Hamilton’s Will Jones, and Acton’s Jordan Gottesman make up an elite rotation, which posted the nation’s best ERA (2.92) and WHIP (1.04), each by a wide margin. The Huskies’ 17 shutouts are as many as the next two best teams combined.
Their success, Cabral said, is proof Northeastern — and New England baseball as a whole — belongs in the national conversation.
“We expect to win no matter what team we’re playing,” he said. “We’ll play anyone, anywhere, any time. With the talent that we have, we really believe that.”
Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @ByEmmaHealy.
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