Northeastern baseball exhibition against Red Sox wasn't too big for Franklin's Ryan Gerety

First base still waited 90 feet from Franklin's Ryan Gerety.

Three strikes, and he's out - the old ball game and all, the Northeastern freshman reminded himself.

Not the easiest task when a Massachusetts native stands in an almost exact replica of Fenway Park, Green Monster in left field and all, with "Boston Red Sox" on the pitchers' chest and classic "B" on the hat.

Gerety entered Northeastern's annual exhibition game against the Red Sox - the 19th meeting - as a defensive substitution in the bottom of the fifth inning at JetBlue Park in Fort Meyers., Fla., on. Feb. 23.

"It's literally Fenway and I'm playing against the Red Sox," Gerety said. "It's always been a lifelong dream of mine."

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Gerety grew up watching the Red Sox championship runs. He paid particular attention to Rafael Devers' batting practice sessions before the game.

"You see what it really takes to get to the majors," Gerety said.

Even with 23 Massachusetts natives on the roster, Northeastern always tries to treat its exhibition against the Red Sox as a normal game. The Huskies want to win, even though its an exhibition.

"Especially against the Red Sox. You remember it's the same game you've been playing your entire life," Gerety said. "Don't let it get too big or too sped up."

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He managed the speed after watching the first few innings. Gerety went 0-for-1, grounding out in his seventh inning at bat against Jordan DiValerio, a 26-year-old Red Sox prospect who has mostly pitched in Single A and High A minor league ball. Gerety also narrowly missed a diving catch in center field in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Red Sox prevailed 7-2, taking a 1-0 lead into the second inning.

"I went in and it felt completely normal. I felt comfortable," he said.

That extends to Northeastern's games that count against other colleges. Gerety adapted to the next level quickly, he said. He played with the Brockton Rox in the Futures League over the summer and hit .340 against college competition. Gerety has appeared in one game so far this season, registering two at bats and two put outs against Arizona on Feb. 18.

"Guys are definitely older, they're a lot bigger, faster stronger," he said. "But I didn't feel like I had to adapt too much."

Franklin baseball represent

He's one of 15 former Franklin Panthers on college rosters this spring, including eight at the Division 1 level. They all keep tabs on each other and reach out when one reaches a milestone or has a strong game.

Gerety texted his classmate Alfred Mucciarone after his first collegiate start and win for UMass Lowell on Feb. 18. There are three former Panthers on the River Hawks roster and two at Merrimack.

"There's a tremendous amount of pride in watching guys that have played in your program succeed at the next level because the next level is really, really hard," Franklin coach Zach Brown said.

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Brown makes a concerted effort to track his former players careers both on and off the diamond, even those who decided to hang up their cleats after high school.

"Coaching to me is all about relationships. They  don’t care what you know until they know you care. I love the guys that have gone through our program. I appreciate what they’ve done to us and for our community. This is one way I can show them I’m still invested in them as people," Brown said. "I want guys to feel invested and come back and support the program and want to come back to the field and say hi. I hope that what our current collegiate athletes are doing inspires future Panthers, to see guys from our community inspire great things. I want hem to dare to dream big and use baseball as the vehicle for that."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Franklin baseball alumn Ryan Gerety suited up against Red Sox