Former Northeastern University outfielder Todd Korchin has been honored with the first-ever Greg Montalbano Alumni Award, given to an alum of the Injured Workers Pharmacy Oldtime Baseball Game, which is put on every year at St. Peter's Field in North Cambridge, Mass. The award is given to a former participant of the Oldtime Baseball game who best exemplifies Montalbano's spirit, competitiveness and good nature.

Korchin, who lettered at Northeastern from 1998-2001, will come out of retirement to play in the game on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. He will also wear the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals uniform, which Montalbano wore when he participated in the game in 1998. Korchin and Montalbano were teammates from 1998-2000. Montalbano, who was one of Northeastern's greatest pitchers of all-time and played in the Boston Red Sox minor league system, passed away after a lengthy bout with cancer on Aug. 21, 2009.

Korchin was the perfect choice for the first Montalbano Award as the pair were very close during their playing days. Even their respective parents grew close and spent time together.

"This means the world to me," Korchin said during the Oldtime Baseball Game media day. "To represent Greg and play in his memory is second to none. It really means a lot to me and to his parents and mine. Our parents became close when we played. They became a foursome. Hopefully, this will bring a smile to [Sharon Montalbano's] face."

Korchin, who lit up when asked about Montalbano's personality, described his former teammates as one of the greatest men he's known.

"You can't say enough about him. He was an unbelievable person and athlete."

Korchin also relived a moment that the two shared that captured Montalbano's personality. On April 17, 1999, the Huskies were facing Hartford in a seven-inning contest with Montalbano on the mound. In the fourth inning, Hartford's James Russo hit a pop-up to right field. Korchin lost it in the sun, and it went for a double. It ended up being the only baserunner Montalbano allowed as he set down the other 21 hitters in a 3-0 Huskies victory. Korchin felt bad, but Montalbano took it in stride.

"I blew the no-hitter," Korchin said."But after the game, Greg said 'Don't worry about it. I'll get it again.' Greg was always patient, calm and collected. But don't think he didn't try to joke with you about it three or four months down the road, because he did!"

What Korchin didn't mention was that Montalbano had already thrown a no-hitter earlier that season against Niagara.

Korchin will be playing in the Oldtime Baseball Game for the first time since 2001. He played all four years while he was at Northeastern and even earned the game's MVP honors in 2000. Korchin has been a proponent of the game for years and says, "the atmosphere is incredible. It's like a Cape Cod League game except you're playing with people you grew up with and people from the neighborhoods."

Korchin, now 32 years old, graduated from Northeastern in 2001 with a degree in Criminal Justice. He hit .287 for his career with 14 home runs and 104 RBI. He currently is a heavy equipment operator for the town of Westwood, Mass., and owns his own landscaping company, Major League Landscaping, with fellow NU alum and best friend Brendan Ryan, who played for the Huskies from 1999-2003. Korchin fondly reflected on his time at Northeastern.

"The education was second to none," he said. "My experiences playing baseball at Northeastern are what made me a man. Coach McPhee helped pushed me to be a better person. Overall, it was the greatest experience of my life."

For more information on the Oldtime Baseball Game, visit oldtimebaseball.com.