As a pitcher, Christian Peters is constantly working on his mechanics with his coaches, perfecting his throwing motion.
But there’s something even coaching and practice can’t really change about Peters’ 
performance on the mound. It’s between his ears. It’s the ability to handle the pressure, of being center stage.
And Peters, a first-team, all-state selection last year and the top pitcher on the Centralia High School’s baseball team, has that inner gumption pitchers need.
“He wants the ball,” said Rex Ashmore, the Tigers’ head baseball coach. “He wants to start and he wants to finish his games every time he goes out there. Even when his pitch count is up and it’s late in the game his adrenaline gets going and he wants to finish.”
That’s when the coach steps in.
“There are times when you have to tell him no, you’re not going to go anymore,” Ashmore said.
There’s going to be another game. But that’s just Christian being Christian. He’s a competitor. Even when someone doubles up the middle against him, driving in a run, Christian wants to make that next pitch.
“You really can’t coach the mental toughness,” Ashmore said. “You can do things to work on it, but mental toughness comes from their upbringing for the most part. The situations they’ve dealt with. Obviously he’s had those situations before. He thrives on it.”
Peters knows that the first step toward success is believing, having confidence to get the job done.
“Personally, that’s one thing I like. I like being the guy,” Peters said before a recent game against Tumwater, which the Tigers won 5-3. “I like knowing that everyone is behind me playing for me. I like being able to control the game.”
Peters has the talent – his fastball has been clocked at 89 mph. And he’s got the mindset.
As a result, he’s off to a 4-2 start, with a stingy 1.51 ERA. His talent and gumption haven’t gone unnoticed. In November, the senior pitcher accepted a baseball scholarship to the University of Portland.
Peters is relieved to have that scholarship in hand. “It feels really good,” he said. “I’m not playing for anything other than for this team. This is where my heart and soul is. It took a lot of relief off for basketball and baseball. It feels good to have it done and know I’m going to a good school.”
It was during his sophomore year on the varsity team that he began to think about the prospect of pitching in college. To realize that goal, he didn’t just dream about it. He worked even harder.
“In the off season, I hit the weights a lot harder and got bigger and stronger and faster,” Peters said.
That’s faster as in throw harder. He’s increased his fastball from the low 80s to the high 80s.
While Peters has been dominating on the mound, that doesn’t mean he’s not contributing at the plate in playing defense. He’s double trouble for opponents. When he’s not pitching, he’s playing third. And he’s an opposing pitcher’s headache. Peters is batting .460. Peters and his teammate Nolan Wasson, who is batting just over .500, have been a big part of the Tigers’ offense.
But despite Peters’ hot bat, Portland recruited him as a pitcher. His own attraction to the University of Portland was threefold. He knew and liked the pitching coach – Greg Swenson, who previously coached at Washington State University and the Olympia High School. Peters also likes the school and the fact that they offered him a scholarship early.
“It felt right to commit rather than hold out and seeing what could come from this year,” Peters said.
As Peters’ spectacular high school career comes to an end, there’s something he’ll always
carry with him. That’s the memory of the Tigers winning a state championship last year.
“To this day, it’s hard to put into words what winning that championship means,” Peters said. “I was just blessed with the teammates I had and blessed with the way things worked out. It was awesome.”
What makes it so special is that it’s a shared accomplishment. It was a team victory.
“It was nine guys on the field every time fighting,” Peters said. “And the coaching staff.”
There’s maybe an unexpected legacy about that state championship. Being the reigning state champs comes at a cost.
“The best way I can say it is we have a target on our backs,” Peters said. “Every team we play it’s like ‘That’s the defending state champion.’ No matter who we play. You read the headlines from the papers from other schools and it’s like defending state champs go down to this team. That’s how it is. I’d say we’ve got a target on our backs and we’ve just got to keep doing what we can do to continue that goal and make it come true this year.”
And Peters continues to live his dream.
