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07/14/2016 12:00 AMJP Peters is seeing the best of both worlds by coaching the sport he loves in the town where he grew up playing the game.
JP, a lifelong Guilford resident, played Little League baseball in town before captaining the high school’s baseball and football squads in his senior year. After graduating in 2013, JP went on to Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he will be a senior this fall after having started behind the plate the past two years. In each of the last two summers, JP has had the chance to work with Guilford’s up-and-coming ballplayers as the assistant coach for the Post 48 Junior Legion baseball team.
“[Post 48 Head Coach] Jon Reinecke knew I loved the sport and he coached me in it, plus he also knew I had an interest in coaching. He needed someone to work with hitters and catchers, so he asked me to join and I did,” says JP, a criminal justice major who’s minoring in coaching at college. “I wanted to give these kids the same opportunities I had and it’s rewarding to come back and coach in the same program that made me who I am. I’m lucky to have this opportunity.”
Part of JP’s coaching philosophy revolves around his belief that the kids shouldn’t adhere to just one method of doing something as they strive toward a goal. Instead, JP thinks that they should try to discover what works best for them in each scenario, while their coaches help them along the way.
“I don’t want to change their thinking and let them think that there is only one right way for doing things. You have to guide them and let them figure it out. I’ve had many different coaches teach me things, so I don’t want to waste them all and have only one way,” JP says. “Being able to combine knowledge from different people and test it all yourself, that’s the main thing for me.”
JP knows that effective communication is essential in teaching athletes the right way to play baseball. JP enjoys when he sees his students grasp the concept he’s trying to get across and then put it into practice.
“I like seeing the kids understand what I’m saying and then watching them succeed. I’m confident in what I know about the sport and I want to pass it on and see results,” says JP, who was an All-SCC Hammonasset catcher at Guilford in 2012. “They are starting to understand what we are saying and watching them put in the hard work is also really special.”
Reinecke says that JP has proved a huge asset with helping Guilford’s players improve their technique in the batter’s box. He also feels that JP demonstrates the necessary traits to be an excellent head coach one day.
“JP Peters is a knowledgeable coach and knows the ins and outs of the game. The players have grown to respect and trust everything he has been teaching them. He has taken a lead role in developing their swings,” says Reinecke. “He meets with each player and dissects their swing and provides feedback on where they can improve. If they have a tough at-bat, they will approach JP and ask what they need to do better next at-bat. I am lucky to have JP as an assistant coach and I can see him becoming a great head coach one day.”
There’s a big difference between the bats used in American Legion baseball and the ones for high school, but JP likes how the use wood bats instead of aluminum makes for a more defensive-oriented game. Something else JP likes about Junior Legion ball is that teams get to test their mettle against each other in four-game series instead of a few scattershot games throughout the season.
“I love playing with wood bats because it makes the game more enjoyable. Also with Legion, any team on any day can win because it becomes more of a pitching and defensive game, which I like more,” JP says. “I like the series format because you get four chances at a team. It’s more challenging to beat a team four times. The first game, you are trying to feel them out, and then the rest of the games become a chess match because you are running out of arms and their pitchers are figuring out what type of hitters certain guys are.”
Even though Post 48 has struggled this summer, JP has seen a huge boost in the boys’ camaraderie, which is sparking Guilford to try and play spoiler in the campaign’s closing contests.
“Right away, I noticed that the kids didn’t know each other very well in the beginning and you could see it on the field that they weren’t clicking as a team. As the year has progressed, the games have gotten closer, the guys are understanding their roles, everyone is embracing each other, and we are a more-competitive team,” JP says. “We beat a 10-win Wallingford team [3-2 on July 3] and then we lost a one-run game to the top team in our zone [3-2 to Middletown Red on June 29]. They are realizing that together they are a decent team that can compete. Seeing them enjoy playing together is also great to see.”