Justin Peterson

Barry Faulkner

Upon his return to the helm of the Costa Mesa High baseball program

after a five-year absence, Coach Doug Deats sized up 5-foot-11,

141-pound Justin Peterson and two words came clearly to mind: junior

varsity.

But the more Peterson pitched, the more the junior left-hander

impressed. Now, midway through his first varsity season, Peterson is

not only the Mustangs’ ace, but one of the top pitchers in the Golden

West League.

“When I first saw him at the beginning of the year, I thought he’d

be our No. 1 pitcher on the JVs,” Deats recalled. “But the more I

watched him pitch in the winter, I saw that he had a lot of

confidence.”

With this confidence, as well as a growing mastery of his craft,

Peterson has proved much more formidable than his less-than-imposing

stature. After his five-hit shutout April 16 against Bolsa Grande in

the Pride of the Coast Tournament, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the

Week had amassed a 3-1 record and a 2.42 ERA, with 50 strikeouts in

43 1/3 innings.

“He just throws strikes, Deats said. “And, when he has his cutter

and slider on, he’s tough to hit. Being left-handed doesn’t hurt,

either. When guys do get on against him, they don’t like to run on

him. And, he has been able to pick a few guys off.”

Peterson is less impressed by his progress than others. After all,

he dominated junior varsity hitters last season, fashioning an ERA he

estimated at 1.50.

But, he admits that while he has pitched since he first started

playing the game, two factors have helped him provide a bigger

presence on the mound.

He noted the experience gained by playing year-round (including

work with a the Orange County Yard Dogs) has both strengthened his

arm and bolstered his knowledge.

In addition, he said developing a tighter focus has created a

mental edge that helps compensate for any lack of physical prowess.

“Just last year and this year, I’ve been able to block things out

when I’m on the mound,” he said. “It’s just me, Nate [Hunter, his

trusted catcher] and the hitter. I have that kind of concentration on

every pitch, now. I’m not sure how it happened. I think it just

happened naturally.”

The addition of a cutter -- a fastball that tails -- is another

factor this season, said Peterson, whose basic approach is, well,

basic.

“I want to go after hitters and get ahead by throwing a

first-pitch strike,” he said. “I like to use the fastball to set up

my other pitchers. And my cutter sets up my slider.”

Peterson’s ability to set up, then mow down hitters, produced 14

strikeouts in a complete-game Golden West League win over Estancia

April 4, just one shy of the school’s 20-year-old single-game record.

Deats spoke of another game, however, as, perhaps, Peterson’s

defining moment thus far.

“I remember the Santa Ana game, which was the first game he was

taken out,” Deats said. “He was [peeved]. He didn’t take the loss in

the game, but he was upset he didn’t get it done.”

Heading into Friday’s start against Golden West League-leading

Ocean View, he had finished the job in all three of his victories,

including slamming the door on Bolsa Grande last week.

“I knew they weren’t having such a good year, but I just wanted to

go after them,” Peterson said.