Every time Grand Valley State University second baseman Garrett Yatch steps up to the plate, he knows he still has some big shoes to fill. After all, last year’s second baseman, All-American Kyle Gendron, was 6-foot-1-inches tall and weighed 190 pounds.

In his first year as a member of the Laker baseball team after transferring from Kellogg Community College, the diminutive 5-foot-9, 175-pound leadoff hitter has made the transition to the Division II level appear seamless.

The decision to play at GVSU was easy for the Midland, Mich. native.

“I was at Kellogg last year. My coach and I sat down and talked about my future with Division I or Division II baseball,” Yatch said. “I picked Grand Valley basically because of the program. I wanted to come to a winning program basically, and I knew a lot about Coach Lyon and a lot about the guys, so I knew this would be a school worth going to.”

So far, the junior has helped the Lakers to a 31-3 record on the season and leads the way or is right at the top in a multitude of offensive and defensive categories. In 30 games, Yatch, hitting .402, is second in batting average, second in runs scored with 37 and tied for second in hits with 39. He leads the team in on-base percentage at .535 largely fueled by his hit totals and his hit by pitch numbers, where he leads the team after being beamed 14 times. He is fourth in walks (16) and first in triples (3).

When GVSU head coach Steve Lyon was scouting Yatch last season, he liked what he saw. So far, the junior has been as advertised.

“We thought (Yatch) would be a guy who could step in for All-American Kyle Gendron at second base for us,” Lyon said. “Garrett is a very aggressive leadoff guy, gets on base a lot and his on-base percentage is off the charts. He runs really well and is a base-stealing threat.”

Yatch has done plenty of that as well. In 10 attempts, Yatch has stolen base successfully nine times, second only to center fielder Cody Grice, who leads the team with 15.

Yatch has modeled his play after Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

“He’s a little guy like me, and we’re both the same height,” Yatch said. “He’s fought adversity his whole life, and I’ve looked up to him ever since he got to the league.”

Considered a leader by example by Coach Lyon and his teammates, Yatch’s work ethic has modeled Pedroia’s on the field.

“He’s not a vocal guy – none of our guys really are – and we don’t really go with that,” Lyon said. “But he certainly leads by example. He creates an aura about our team when he steps into the batter’s box to start the game. He’s done a really good job of creating havoc for the other team at the top of the order, especially early in the game, and he sets the tone for the rest of our team, and we’ve been able to feed off of that a little bit.”

Senior shortstop Andrew Trepel has grown accustomed to his partner up the middle as the pair has turned seven double plays together this year. But their bond began over the summer when the two played together for the Redding Colt .45’s in Redding, Calif.

Now teammates at GVSU, Trepel has been impressed with Yatch’s play.

“We played all summer together out in California and then worked out together in the fall,” Trepel said. “Yatch has been outstanding for us in the leadoff spot. It seems like every game we start, he’s always getting on base.”

Yatch will hope to continue doing just that as the season wears on and said that he thinks the nation’s No. 3 team can continue to perform at the exceptional level it has shown to this point in the season.

“I think that with everyone’s attitude and mindset, every day in practice we’re going hard and rarely take days off,” he said. “With that dedication, I can see this being a really special year for us. I don’t see us losing too many more games from here on out.”

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