Groton — Garet Griffin embraces any challenge that comes his way.

He's not intimidated by being a Division III player competing in a summer baseball league loaded with Division I talent.

"You've got to love it," Griffin said. "You've got to beat the best to be the best. ... It's a big jump. You've got to always have that chip on your shoulder to be better every day. If they see me as the D-III guy and take me lightly, I'll feed off of that."

Griffin, a member of the Mystic Schooners, is making a positive impression in his first full summer playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

Mystic manager Phil Orbe has known Griffin for years now. He watched Griffin play at Plainfield High School. Griffin also is coached at Mitchell by Travis Beausoleil, a former assistant coach for the Schooners.

Orbe initially offered Griffin a temporary contract before an injury opened the door for more playing time.

Griffin, who saw some action in the NECBL with Sanford last summer, has taken advantage of the break.

"He's really done a nice job contributing and stabilizing the middle infield defense...," Orbe said. "Knowing him but also knowing Travis, we certainly would take a chance on a guy like that. And he played in the league last year.

" ... Not that we're reluctant to take Division III guys, but they really have to be someone that is a known commodity. Garet certainly fit that bill."

This has been a summer of adjustments for Griffin, who's coming off a remarkable junior season at Mitchell College. He captured New England Collegiate Conference player of the year honors after batting a conference leading .495 with a team-best six home runs, 10 doubles, two triples and 41 RBI.

Now he's facing Division I pitchers, including future professional draft choices, from all over the country.

Predictably, he struggled at first, starting just 3-for-25 (.120).

"It's not easy," Griffin said. "It's definitely a whole different world seeing top tier rotation starters from teams in the SEC and power conferences like that and Division I. But it's fun making the adjustments and seeing that kind of pitching."

He's beginning to find his groove in recent weeks.

After going 1-for-4 in Friday's 6-3 win over the Valley Blue Sox at Fitch High School, he has nine hits in his last 29 at-bats with one home run and five RBI. He's lifted his overall average to .222 and has six RBI overall.

His first home run — a three-run shot in a 17-15 win over Danbury on Tuesday — gave him a jolt of confidence. The previous at-bat, he struck out against the same pitcher.

He's also made several spectacular plays defensively, including one gem on Thursday in a rout of Plymouth.

"He made a professional play in the hole and threw a guy out in one motion," Orbe said. "It's a play that we haven't had a shortstop make here."

Griffin feels good, health-wise, and comfortable at the plate.

"The biggest thing is getting in more and more games and getting more at-bats, and getting my timing down," Griffin said. "After that, it's just getting a pitch in the strike zone to swing at and not chasing balls. I'm still working on it. It's still tough for me but every day I've got to keep working."

It's a good time for Griffin to pick up his play.

The Schooners, the defending NECBL champions, are trying to lock up one of three playoff spots in the Southern Division. With nine regular season games left, they're in third place at 19-16.

Orbe appreciates the effort that Griffin puts in on a daily basis.

"There's a certain swag that Garet has to him that I never really saw until getting to see him every day," Orbe said. "Seeing him go through pre-game stuff and having him just work at his craft, it's workman-like. I don't want swag to be a negative term. But he has some confidence to him."

News and notes

• Mystic closer Turner French (St. John's) left the team after reaching his innings limit for the summer. He went 2-1 with a 2.81 earned run average and made a team-high seven saves. ... The Schooners rank second in the NECBL in home runs with 40. ... Brian Rey (Miami Dade College) saw his streak of four straight games with a home run end on Friday. He has seven overall. ... The Schooners are second in the league in shutouts and earned run average (3.26). "We have a lot of guys who have made great strides in the last month and a half working with (pitching coach) Dennis (Long)," Orbe said. ... The Schooners, who are off Saturday, play home games next week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

g.keefe@theday.com