The baseball team is on a hot streak, and one of its underclassmen players fuels the Lobos’ fire: DJ Peterson.
The Lobos have won eight of their last 10 games, and sophomore first baseman DJ Peterson has been a huge part of that run, leading the MWC in eight batting categories. Last week, Peterson was named Mountain West Baseball Player of the Week.
Head coach Ray Birmingham said he is starting to see a lot of improvement in Peterson.
“When he was a freshman, he would try to hit everything to left field,” Birmingham said. “He would do things mechanically wrong and his patience wasn’t good. Now he’s a little more relaxed and a little more comfortable.”
Peterson has led the Lobos offense this year. He went 3-4 at bat with five runners batted in (RBI) and hit a home run on March 6, against NMSU.
He hit two home runs in the Lobos’ first game against San Diego State University and went 3-4, with two RBIs and two doubles in their last game against the Aztecs.
Junior pitcher Sam Wolff said that when Peterson plays well, the rest of the team wants to play well.
“It’s a contagious feeling when someone like DJ starts playing well,” said. “It sparks everyone. When guys see one guy doing well, they like to step up. A little bit of weight is lifted off everyone’s shoulders when DJ does what he does.”
Peterson has 20 RBIs, five home runs and is batting .458 for the season.
Peterson said he’s noticed his skills as a hitter improve since his freshman year.
“Last year, I chased a lot of pitches I shouldn’t have,” Peterson said. “Being patient and a mature hitter has really changed my at bats this year.”
Wolff said even though he is only a sophomore, he is still looked up to as a leader for the team.
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“He’s the guy that can change the game with one swing,” Wolff said. “We look up to him a lot. He’s a great kid and a great player on and off the field. I think a lot of guys, freshman, even juniors and seniors, look up to him for that spark in a game.”
Peterson has been awarded College Baseball 360 Prime Time Performer, Madness Baseball Mountain West Player of the Week and College Baseball Insider Player of the Week this year. Peterson said he’s more concerned with his team’s overall performance than his personal accolades.
“It’s easy to put those kinds of things in the back of my mind,” he said, “I just want to have a good team.”
