After starting in 90% of games this season, junior third baseman Bryce Peterson has proved to be a quality addition to the baseball team. So far, he’s racked up 35 runs, 33 RBI’s and 7 home runs while batting at .423 batting average. 

Peterson transferred to UCCS after 2 years at Western Nebraska Community College. Peterson said he’s been playing the sport since he could walk, but transitioning from junior college baseball to Division II had its challenges. 

“The first couple of weeks were a little tough, because I had to adjust to a higher, faster speed of the game. It’s a different process in itself, seeing how new guys play, learning how coaches go about things. It was fun, though,” Peterson said. 

Peterson described his position of third baseman as a “hot corner.” 
 
“You don’t get very many chances in the field, but when you do, it’s typically in a situation that matters,” said Peterson. “It builds up a lot of pressure.” 

Peterson draws inspiration from Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado and San Francisco Giants’ Matt Chapman as examples of how to be a successful third baseman.  

Peterson emphasized the importance of his family. “My parents and my grandma, they were at every single game. They did everything for me, and I wouldn’t be close to where I am today without them,” he said, adding that his first coach was his father. “He shared his love of the game with me.” 

Off the field, Peterson is a business administration major. He is unsure of what he will do with his degree, but he has ideas. “I’d love to run my own sort of training facility and be a manager of that, but any sort of business operation that I could be in charge of and set up would be the goal.” 

Baseball is now halfway through their season with an 18-13 overall record and 8-8 in RMAC. Their RMAC record puts them fifth in the conference standings, and the team is looking forward to the 5-team championship tournament. 

“We started off really well. [The] last couple of weeks in conference have been a little bit challenging playing better teams, but I think we’re headed in the right direction. [We] still have over half the conference season left, so we’ll go out with a bang and get into the RMAC tournament,” said Peterson. 

Students can follow the rest of the Mountain Lions’ season on the GoMountainLions website. UCCS’ next home game will be on April 11 at Mountain Lion Park at 3 p.m., kicking off a 4-game series against Colorado Mesa.   

Infielder Bryce Peterson during a March 9 game. Archive photo by Josiah Dolan.