Senior helps PDS beat Rutgers Prep in Prep B tourney
By: Bob Nuse
Chris Peters expected a lot out of his senior baseball season at Princeton Day School.
"We have a lot of talent on this team," said Peters, who along with his teammates was scheduled to face Rutgers Prep in the state Prep B semifinals on Thursday. "But I think we’ve kind of underachieved this season. We lost a couple of close games that I thought we could win. And it’s been a strange season with the weather and the cancellations. We’ve only played 15 games so far this season."
The Panthers have won seven of those 15, including a 10-4 win over Pennington on Tuesday in the Prep B quarterfinals. The Panthers are hoping the win helps turn around their season. After a 5-2 start, they had lost six of seven games prior to the win on Monday.
"We seem to have a lot of games where we play well for five innings and then we blow it in the end," said Peters, a senior who will play his baseball at Trinity College in Texas beginning in the fall. "We’ve come out strong in a lot of these games and then we let them get away at the end."
That wasn’t the case on Monday, however, as the Panthers avenged a 9-2 loss to Pennington less than a week earlier.
"Even though we had lost to them earlier, I had a good feeling about the game," PDS coach Bruce Devlin said. "I had held back Will King and we pitched him in the state game and he threw a great game like he always does. So even though we had lost to them, I had a good feeling in my mind that we could win the game.
"Will is a great competitor and when he gets the ball you know what you’re going to get. He hasn’t needed a reliever yet this year. And it’s not because we just leave him out there. He’s able to go the whole game and only throw about 85-90 pitches each time."
Peters, who had been 3-for-3 in the loss to Pennington, was 2-for-4 and drove in three runs in Monday’s win. Peters and Ben Johnson currently share the team lead in runs batted in with 14 each, but what has impressed Devlin the most is the way Peters has played third base.
"I know when he was a sophomore he had a lot of trouble at third," Devlin said. "When I took over last year he wanted to switch to first, but I told him he was my third baseman. He’s worked real hard and in the last two years he’s made three errors. He plays a great third base and he’s a good lefty hitter.
"He’s worked real hard on his game and I’m going to miss him when he’s gone. He’s going to play for one of the top Division II programs in the country, I think they’re ranked No. 4. I first had him in football and then this year he decided to not play football and work on his baseball. He lost a lot of weight, worked hard and has had a great year."
Peters is hoping the Panthers can keep that season going. With a win on Thursday they would advance to the Prep B final on Monday.
"We feel like we have a good enough team that we can play with anybody," Peters said. "We started off the season real well with wins over Peddie and Blair. And we’ve been close with some good teams."
Next year Peters will be seeing plenty of good teams all season long. Playing for Trinity will give him a chance to see great teams all season long.
"It’s a very good program and they play all year round," said Peters, a Plainsboro resident who last summer played for the Bayside Yankees in New York. "They play a 50-game schedule and the weather is great for baseball all year. And it’s also a great school so I know I’ll get a good education."
But before he heads to Texas, Peters would like to end his PDS career on a good note.
"It’s been great playing here," Peters said. "We have some great players and I’ve had a good time. We thought we would win a few more games this year, but we still have a chance to do something at the end."
"It’s going to be tough to see all our seniors go," Devlin added. "Chris, James Bird, Ben Johnson and Howard Kline have all been with me the whole time here. They’re all great kids. Chris and James are both going to play ball in college. Ben is going to the University of Colorado and Howard is going to Columbia. They’re all great kids who are going to be successful in life."

