Derek P. Gauthier has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of baseball.
Gauthier, Class of '96, attended NU as a result of baseball coach Neil McPhee's strong recruiting contacts in Canada. A graduate of East York Collegiate High School in Toronto, he was voted Most Valuable Player twice in hockey and once in baseball. He was voted All-Ontario and All-County and was awarded a Canadian Gold Glove.
He was an instant impact player his freshman season, winning the starting second base position and hitting .318 while scoring 29 runs and knocking in 22. He also hit for power, with six doubles, three triples and six home runs. The team had a 22-18-1 record that season.
In Gauthier's sophomore season, the Huskies dropped to 17-19 and Gauthier to a .274 batting average. However, the power was still there as he had 10 doubles, five home runs and 22 RBIs.
In his junior year of 1994 it all came together. Gauthier led the Huskies to a 35-16 season, their first America East title and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 20 years. He hit .326, knocked in 54 runs and slugged 15 home runs. Both the 54 RBIs and 15 home runs were new NU single-season records. The awards poured in. He was first team All-America East and All-New England, and was voted the America East Player of the Year.
His senior season the Huskies finished 27-19, and though they made the conference playoffs, they fell short of the NCAAs. He went 8-for-15 in the conference tournament and made the All-Tournament team. The team also won the celebrated Beanpot Tournament at Fenway Park for the second straight year. Gauthier hit .302 for the year with 33 runs and 24 RBIs.
Gauthier's career statistics are impressive. He finished with a .307 batting average and a .953 fielding percentage. He graduated with a school career-record 41 doubles while his 30 home runs, 122 RBIs and 127 runs scored all were good for second place in the NU record book. His 170 games played placed him fourth in the program annals.
Gauthier played for Johnstown Steel in the Frontier League for two years and was voted team MVP in 1997.
