Lack of size doesn’t stop rise of UNLV’s new ace
UNLV’s ace, its Friday starter, the one whose job it is to begin each weekend series with a statement-making performance, walks off the baseball field and toward the dugout.
All 6 feet and 150 pounds of him.
Tanner Peters might not be physically imposing, but inside his small frame burns an intensity that in the preseason refused to let another pitcher take the coveted Friday starts from him.
He had the “attitude of I’ll be the one to lead this pitching staff,” UNLV coach Tim Chambers said. “And he’s done it. We feel like when he takes the mound, we have a great chance to win.”
Peters, a junior right-hander, has given the Rebels good reason to feel that way. He is 4-0 with no earned runs allowed, and his strikeouts-to-walks ratio through 29 innings is 32 to nine.
But Peters should get tested tonight when the Rebels open a three-game series at 6:05 against No. 9 Texas Christian (10-6) at Wilson Stadium. The Horned Frogs, who are led by former UNLV coach Jim Schlossnagle, made the College World Series last season and will provide the Rebels a clearer picture of where they stand after a 16-4 start against mostly subpar competition.
Peters will try to outduel TCU junior right-hander Kyle Winkler, who is also 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA.
“I’ve been excited for weeks for this weekend,” Peters said. “He’s a top prospect, and there are going to be a lot of scouts. I want to do everything I can to compete with the guy.”
Peters, a native of Simi Valley, Calif., showed promise his first two seasons. He went 5-7 with a 4.90 ERA as a freshman and last season was 7-5 with a 5.63 ERA and team-high 110 strikeouts.
Not the kind of eyebrow-raising statistics he has produced this season, but Peters was called upon for midweek duty last year. The extra work wore him down, and he battled elbow soreness late in the season.
UNLV’s change in coaching staffs also brought about a change in philosophy. If a pitcher was entrusted with starting on Friday, he wouldn’t be asked to win on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“I think at the end of the year you can really wear a kid down,” UNLV pitching coach Stan Stolte said.
Peters can go to four pitches — a fastball that reaches 93 mph, a curveball, a slider and a changeup — which is a rare luxury for someone on the college level.
His success, though, is based on far more than the ability to command a variety of pitches.
Peters has a quiet determination, often standing next to the coaches during games in the left corner of the dugout and listening to what they say.
If a batter reaches base while he’s on the mound, Peters thinks about his perfect earned-run streak and bears down even more to preserve it.
And if Peters gets a batter out with a poor pitch, he walks into the dugout upset at himself, thinking he wouldn’t be so fortunate the next time.
“He competes against himself maybe more than he competes against the hitter,” Chambers said.
Chambers made a lot of changes when he was hired away from College of Southern Nevada, and Peters watched 12 new players come with the coach.
Now Peters, one of the holdovers, is a player the new coaches have come to depend upon.
“We’re holding our breath that we get to keep this guy one more year,” Chambers said. “If he keeps doing what he’s doing, I’m not sure we’re going to be able to do that.”
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.
