WEATHERFORD —
While playing baseball at Deer Park near Houston, Justin Peters watched his neighbor Andy Pettitte, who lives only a couple streets away, pitch with the Houston Astros.
Like so many youngsters, Peters had dreams of playing major college ball and going on to the professional ranks.
The next phase of those dreams has become a reality as Peters has received a scholarship to pitch for the University of Texas next season. After only one season at Weatherford College, the right-handed Peters garnered the attention of the one of the most prestigious NCAA programs in history.
“I'm super excited. I can't explain how excited I am,” said Peters. “I never thought I'd have the chance. This is a dream come true. And if I do well, I think I've got a chance to get a look from the pros.”
That would not be unprecedented. Many players from Weatherford College are currently in the pro ranks, and a couple of Peters' teammates from the 2011 Coyotes were drafted this summer—fellow pitchers Nick Lee and Cass Ingvardsen.
Peters' recent rise to prominence, while not a giant shock to Coyote coach Jeff Lightfoot, might be surprising to some. After all, Peters was a walk-on with the Coyotes.
“People use the term walk-on, but we recruited Justin. We just didn't have any money to give him,” Lightfoot said, noting that by the time the school came to terms with Peters, all the scholarships had been handed out.
“It was in June (2010) and we'd already handed out all of our scholarship money. Then a buddy of mine called and said we need to see this kid.”
Peters had a few other offers, but not as many as he had hoped for. But he liked what he heard from Lightfoot, and he liked the tradition of consistent winning the Coyotes had established in their first decade of existence.
“He liked our program and the exposure we get our guys,” said Lightfoot. “I feel like we put him in a good position.”
Peters put himself in great position as well with his finest pitching performance of the season against highly-ranked powerhouse Howard in the regional tournament in Lubbock. He pitched 11 innings in what was eventually a 15-inning loss for the Coyotes. While in the game, he gave up no earned runs and only four hits.
“That one game is the reason I started getting all the offers,” said Peters, noting that UT wasn't the only bigger school that came calling.
“Really, out of high school I did not get that many offers. I went to Weatherford College's evaluation camp and they noticed me.”
“It was awesome to watch,” Lightfoot said of Peters' performance against Howard. “You don't know what a kid has in him until you put him in a pressure situation. We figured he had something, though, because he had earlier thrown five quality innings against Navarro, the eventual national champs.”
WC assistant coach Flint Wallace, who pitched for TCU, said he can see Peters being a mid-week starter as soon as next season.
“He's got a really good breaking ball and velocity,” said Wallace. “With his 6-4 frame and 195 pounds, he'll get plenty of looks (from the pros) being at UT.”
In the meantime, Peters is enjoying soaking in the realization of accomplishing a major goal. And he's grateful to Lightfoot and Wallace for helping him.
“It was definitely a whirlwind set of circumstances. It all happened so fast,” said Peters. “We worked on so much. I owe them a lot.”
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