When opportunity knocks: From tryout to scholarship

Nick Berger eventually earned a partial scholarship at Northeastern after attending a tryout. (Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics)

It was almost a decade ago, but Mike Glavine still remembers the knock on his office door.

Today, the Northeastern University baseball coach has computer spreadsheets to keep track of scholarship money allocated and available. Another database includes the name of potential recruits.

Back then, Nick Berger’s name appeared on neither.

At the time, Glavine (Billerica, Mass.) was an assistant coach under Neil McPhee — and was about to meet Berger for the first time. Berger, largely unrecruited coming out of Commack (N.Y.) High School, still had visions of playing Division 1 baseball.