Petersen Follows Brother To Connecticut

SANDY HOOK, Ct. - Before coronavirus made an impact on college baseball last spring, Jack Petersen went to Hartford to watch his brother play for UConn.

“That was the last game before the season got cancelled,” Petersen reflected.

It also gave the 73rd-rated New England 2021 a look at the two programs that ended up giving him an offer. And while his brother, two years older, is at Connecticut, his parents were both Hartford graduates.

“The big thing for me ended up being that on the phone they wanted me most,” Petersen said of his recent decision to make a commitment to UConn. “A big thing with me is ... am I wanted.”

There was more that the Newtown High School senior saw in the Big East Conference program that stood out.

“Another thing is they’re so successful,” Petersen said of Connecticut, which beat Hartford 5-2 back on March 10 with Petersen in attendance. “They’ve been one of the best in New England … one of the best in the country. They also have a new field and new locker rooms.”

Interest started two years ago.

“I’ve been talking with them since I was a sophomore,” Petersen related. “My brother Todd is a sophomore there now as a third baseman and this past spring he did well. He gained weight and I think they liked that.”

The attraction from UConn to the younger sibling was only natural.

“They were going to come watch me this summer but they couldn’t with everything going on so I sent them video,” noted Petersen, who went to two camps at UConn last year. “In August, I reached out to them and asked ‘have you made a decision’ and they offered.”

It was certainly a different recruiting process than expected for Petersen, who also received strong attention from Quinnipiac.

“The big thing now is you’ve got to reach out to them,” Petersen said. “They’re not going to come to you, there are so many kids out there. With the coronavirus, the only time they saw me this summer was live streamed at the last PBR I went to (New England Unsigned Senior Games I in early August). That really helped.”

What UConn saw was an improved Petersen.

“Fielding wise I fixed a few things,” the 19th-ranked senior shortstop in New England said of areas he has gotten better. “I’m getting lower. I’m 6-4 and my brother is almost 6-7 and he helped me with that a lot.”

More improvement is on the horizon for the 17-year-old.

“I need to keep improving my fielding and getting rid of the ball quicker,” Petersen explained. “I also need to adjust to that pitching, keep taking reps against better and faster pitching.”

Help has come from family all along.

“My dad has been huge,” Petersen said of his father Chris, a 1988 Hartford graduate who was part of the Crunch Bunch that included Jeff Bagwell, Brian Crawley and Pat Hedge - a hitting lineup for one of the best teams in Hartford school history. “He coached my teams growing up and helped me with anything he could, from ground balls to swings.”

Of course brother Todd has been a big part of it all as well.

“That was another part of my decision,” Petersen said of choosing UConn. “I played baseball and basketball with him as a sophomore and it will be great to do that in college. He didn’t push me, he let me make my own decision but I know he wanted me to go there.

“We’re pretty competitive,” Petersen added. “I think that’s always been a thing, especially with us playing the same position (Todd was a shortstop in high school). We’re always pushing each other.”

Petersen credited his older brother with benefitting his game of late.

“All the knowledge he received his freshman year at UConn he showed me, which helped me tune some things up,” Petersen said.

Up until his freshman year in high school, Petersen was uncertain which sport he would even play in college.

“I was thinking either basketball or baseball but I made the decision of baseball and started working at it more,” Petersen related. “Last summer is when I started talking with more schools.”

Being a three-sport athlete - Petersen also plays soccer - helped sell Connecticut on the seventh New England senior to sign with the program.

“He’s big on playing multiple sports and working those muscles,” Petersen said of UConn head coach Jim Penders.

A good baseball IQ is another thing Petersen believes he can help bring to the program among other things.

“They’re going to get another athlete,” Petersen pointed out. “I’m gonna work hard and keep my grades up. I’m a hard-working student-athlete.”

Petersen, who carries a 4.0 weighted GPA, is pleased to have made a college decision to attend school an hour and 25 minutes from home.

“Awesome, relieved, excited,” Petersen concluded about his commitment. “I just want to get up there.”