David Peterson’s dream school was Cal State Fullerton. He wanted to play for George Horton, who led the Titans to six College World Series appearances, including one championship.
It didn’t work out that way. When the Oregon Ducks reinstated their baseball program in 2009, they brought on Horton as their new head coach. Horton and the Ducks went 14-42 in their debut season, including a miserable 4-23 in Pac-12 play.
It was an assistant coach who first noticed Peterson — a tall, skinny left-hander out of high school in Colorado. This coach recommended Peterson to Horton, then recruited him to join the rebuilding Oregon program. That coach was Mark Wasikowski, who these days is Oregon’s beloved head man.
Peterson wound up playing for Horton after all, but in green and yellow rather than orange and navy blue. He was immediately inserted into Oregon’s starting rotation. He found his footing as a sophomore in 2016, when he posted a 3.63 ERA in 13 starts. That blossomed into a dominant junior campaign, when he put up a 2.51 ERA and struck out a school record 20 batters in a game.
“It was interesting that I was able to play for [Horton], and it was an absolute pleasure to play for him,” Peterson said. “To learn from someone that has so much experience and had so much success in college baseball. I was very fortunate for the three years that I got to play for him.”
Peterson’s college success led to him being picked in the first round of the 2017 MLB draft by the New York Mets, with whom he’s gone on to a major league career. At 27 years old, Peterson is having the best season of his professional life, helping the Mets to one of the best records in baseball. Peterson, along with a batch of fellow alumni, continue to represent their alma mater at the highest level.
While Peterson has had to squeeze himself into a crowded Mets roster, he’s performed when called upon. In 26 appearances for the Mets, including 19 starts, he owns a 3.89 ERA in 104 innings.
“I know I’m gonna get my number called. I know there’s gonna be a spot for me here and there,” Peterson said. “It may not be scripted like everybody else, but when Buck [Showalter] decides to give me the ball, I need to be ready, and I need to be able to produce.”
A heavily sinker ball pitcher at Oregon, Peterson has reinvented himself. He’s throwing his four-seam fastball harder and more often than ever, leading to the 15th-highest strikeout rate of any pitcher in the majors. Rigorous arm care routines and workout regimens have allowed Peterson to reach the full height of his potential in games.
“I was able, in college, to have a summer out of the bullpen where I touched 98,” Peterson said. “So I kind of knew it was in there. It was just a matter of getting my body in the right place to tap into the rest of the velocity that’s in there.”
Peterson now relies much less on his sinker, becoming a power pitcher with a slider that’s taken great strides as well. He’s increased his slider usage and turned it into a much sharper pitch, one which produces a plethora of swings and misses.
“I’m still using the same grip that I have since high school,” Peterson said. “I think some of it is just naturally the way my body is, the way my mechanics have changed over time. It’s transitioned from this sweeping slider that worked in college to more of a firmer, sharp slider.”
In college, Peterson had a junior season for the ages. He struck out 12.1 batters per nine innings while walking only 1.3, and his 20-strikeout game made national headlines. Peterson recalls it starting like any ordinary day. As he mowed down opposing hitters, he didn’t even realize how many strikeouts he was accumulating.
“That one’ll stick with me forever,” he said. “I wanted to have that complete game while I was at Oregon, and so it was more the complete game [that] was on my mind. And then when it was done… it was really cool. I had some family there, and some friends from back home who I was able to share that day with. It was a lot of fun.”
Wasikowski, meanwhile, didn’t get to be there for Peterson’s masterclass, as that was the year he became Purdue’s head baseball coach.
“We saw what we were missing when he left,” Peterson said. “But we also saw how good of a coach he was. We knew it when we played for him, but when he went off to Purdue and had the success that he did, it was really cool.”
When Horton stepped away in 2019, Peterson said he and some other alumni wrote an email advising that Wasikowski be one of the top candidates for the job.
“I think it shows the kind of respect that Coach Waz gets from his players,” Peterson said. “He goes about his business the right way. He’s trying to get the best out of you. He cares about you as a baseball player, but more importantly, as a person.”
Wasikowski was subsequently hired in June 2019, returning to Oregon as its new head coach. His first two full seasons have been an enormous success, leading the team to a regional both years.
“Not only did we as alumni want him to come back and see what he could do with the position, but it seemed like he wanted to have that reunion and be able to come back,” Peterson said. “I think he always had a strong vision for the program when he was an assistant coach, and the way he recruited and the way he ran practices.”
While the era of Peterson playing for Wasikowski is over, he now gets to play for renowned MLB manager Buck Showalter. He’s on a team with superstars such as Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, a group he’s gotten to learn from as they compete in a pennant race.
“It’s been fun to really see a lot of different perspectives and ways the guys go about their business,” Peterson said. “As a younger guy, in my first couple years really trying to find what works for me, taking things from [Scherzer], taking things from [deGrom], taking things from whoever it is, and putting my own puzzle together of what makes me the best pitcher I can be.”
By luck of the draw, fellow Ducks Stephen Nogosek and Jake Reed have played for the Mets this year as well, along with other Ducks around baseball. Lefties Tyler Anderson and Cole Irvin are having great major league seasons, while Spencer Steer and Ryne Nelson recently dazzled in their debuts. That’s to name just a few of the former Ducks playing affiliated baseball, nine of whom have appeared in MLB this year.
“It’s awesome. I think we all look at that as our own little group of guys that went to Oregon that are doing it in the big leagues,” Peterson said. “You pull for those guys… When we’re playing each other, we’re gonna give it our best shot. We want to do well for our team, but it is fun to have those guys that came from the same place as you that are doing well and having success.”
Peterson has gone on to bigger things, but he still watches the Oregon program from afar. The Ducks have rapidly built national prominence and turned into a factory that churns out professional baseball players.
“It’s been a lot of fun to watch them, what [Wasikowski]’s done with the program, and some of the coaches that he has there — guys I played for in Coach [Jack] Marder,” Peterson said. “The three years I had there, I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. It was a very special time in my life. I’ve got lifelong friends and bonds that I’ll have forever. It’s been fun to say that I went to the University of Oregon.”
