Havre's Garden fulfills college baseball dream

The American Legion baseball season is still in the early stages for the Havre Northstars, but that hasn't stopped one of their players from committing to play college baseball next season.

Brendan Garden, who has spent the last few summers playing legion baseball for the Northstars, won't be finished with the diamond when this season comes to a close and that's because he will be playing collegiately for Rochester College in Rochester Hills, Michigan, starting next season.

Garden said he expects to begin playing baseball for the Warriors next spring and will start attending school this fall, although he said he was undecided about his major. While Garden has lived in Havre for quite some time, he said he was born and raised about 20 minutes from Detroit, which means going to Rochester College, will kind of be like going home, which he said was a definite factor in his decision.

"It helped make the decision a lot easier for me," Garden said. "I am just really grateful that I found a school over there that was interested in me."

Garden will be joining the Warriors as a pitcher and that's a role he has excelled at in the past two seasons for the Northstars. He was the team's top pitcher a year ago and figures to be one of the top arms on the squad again this season. Over the past two seasons, he has put together a winning record on the mound and in 2017, he was among the team leaders in ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched.

"I think that they want me to be a pitcher," Garden said. "But I am not quite sure."

Garden may not be an overpowering pitcher in terms of speed and velocity, but he has good command and has limited walks during his Northstars career. He also had an effective curveball, which he has used to get a lot of hitters out the past two seasons.

"I think having confidence in myself has really helped me," Garden said of his development as a pitcher. "I throw my curveball quite often and also a changeup."

While his days as a high school pitcher are coming a close, Garden still has one season of baseball left for the Northstars, but as he works to close out his Havre career in fashion, he will do much more than just pitch. He also plays first base for the Northstars and is a strong presence in the lineup, too. Last season, Garden hit around .400 all season and was also one of Havre's leaders in on-base percentage.

The most important thing for Garden about going to Rochester College, is simply a chance to keep playing baseball. He said he has been around the game his entire life, and he is excited about the chance to play another four years.

"It is a dream come true in all honesty," Garden said. "It is something that I have always wanted to do."