Bailey Peterson: Looking to Complete the Circle

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State senior infielder Bailey Peterson always imagined his final game as a Spartan, knowing that it was slowly approaching. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, but rather, Peterson was dealing with a coming reality.

But his mind was not able to dream up the scenario he actually faced, as his last game wasn't when he expected. The COVID-19 pandemic cut this season short on March 12, and left Peterson thinking about what the seniors missed out on.

"Kissing the Spartan head is a big deal and that's something the seniors won't be able to do this year," said Peterson. "Being able to look around and take everything in one last time, appreciate the opportunity I've been given, and the things I've been able to do over the last few years."

Life threw a curveball into Peterson's vision when the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA canceled all athletics through the remainder of the spring semester due to COVID-19.

The team held practice that afternoon at McLane Stadium, planning to make the road trip afterwards to Indiana State for their upcoming weekend series. In the middle of practice, MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. received a call from Indiana State's coach informing him not to make the journey, as the series had been canceled.

Boss told the Spartans about the development at the close of practice, telling them to stick around until further notice. During that time, official word from the conference came in. Fifteen minutes later, Boss called a team meeting in the locker room to break the sad news.

"It was quiet, it was emotional, there were a lot of guys with their head down in tears," said Peterson. "Playing your last game as a senior is something you see coming for so long, and then something like that happens."

Players then walked throughout the locker room, thanking the seniors for their time, in what everyone believed was their collegiate baseball farewell.

"It was emotional, very emotional, just sad, and surreal," said Peterson. "You couldn't have made it up, couldn't have drawn it up, like I said it was like something out of a movie, something out of a bad dream."

There were still plenty of questions to be answered, but Peterson realized he and his fellow seniors, could have already played in their final game. This was not the first time Peterson had faced a challenge in his playing career, as it's something he's had to overcome at every stage.

Peterson, as a junior at Grandville (Mich.) High School, tore the labrum in his right-throwing shoulder and required surgery.

"I worked my butt off. It lit an extra fire under me because the little attention I was starting to get [from colleges] disappeared once I had that surgery," said Peterson. "During that time, I couldn't lift anything with my upper body, and that was when I got fast. One of my coaches made me my own workout plan,while the team was doing theirs. I would jump and do agility ladders and do body-weight squats all day every day."

Peterson was recovering from his surgery when Graham Sikes, MSU's recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, attended one of Grandville's games. Sikes was scouting another player, but it was Peterson who caught his eye.

"Peterson's team got rained out, and all they could do was hit inside in the cages," said Sikes. "Bailey was coming off a shoulder injury, and was probably 160 pounds, but he was very loud with the bat, so I logged that in my memory bank."

The first time Boss saw Peterson, he also immediately noticed his hitting ability. He saw his raw-potential to hit for exceptional contact, courtesy of the way his bat-path crosses through the strike zone for longer-than-average swing.

"It was one of his first times back playing from his injury, so his arm strength wasn't there yet," said Boss. "But everything he hit was hard. Everything he hit was hit all over the place. Line drives all over the field."

After high school, Peterson had a lone Division II offer, so he committed to Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek with the hopes of fulfilling his life-long dream.

"About two or three weeks into the season I talked to Kellogg's coach and he told me, 'This guy's unbelievable'," said Sikes. "That's kind of how the recruitment started. A lot of junior college guys will go for two years, but his coach told me he was ready, he didn't need two years. Everywhere he had played, he had hit. We didn't know which position he'd play at MSU, but we knew he'd hit. That's his strength."

Peterson finally felt like he was playing "big boy baseball" after transferring to MSU from Kellogg.

"It was a dream come true," said Peterson. "It was a realization that all my hard work, all my preparation that I put in had paid off. It was a big deal to me to prove to all the doubters and schools that overlooked me in high school that I meant what I said, I knew what my abilities were, and stuck with it."

Despite reaching his desired destination, Peterson continued to face obstacles. Unaware he had been playing through a broken left hand, and with more experienced teammates in front of him, Peterson's role was limited throughout his sophomore and junior seasons to a utility infielder and occasional pinch hitter.

Peterson finally got his opportunity senior year. He started all 15 games for the Spartans this season, leading the team with a .441 batting average, ranking among the conference and nation's leaders. He started on a hot streak, knocking in seven RBI the first weekend of this season, which is the exact amount that he had in his first two seasons as a Spartan, with three RBI in 2018 and four in 2019. Peterson also had more hits (26) this season than in 2018 and 2019 combined (25), in only 59 at bats this season, compared to 123 at bats in the previous two seasons combined.

"Finally, I feel fully healthy," said Peterson. "This year coming off a good summer, being an older guy, I think the game feels a lot slower now than it ever has before. I would say just physical health and experience are the two biggest things that I would attribute it to."

Sikes said he believes Peterson's success this season is attributed to his hard work.

"Nothing that he's done this year has surprised me. He's always been very level-headed in a game that rewards that type of mindset," said Sikes. "Even when he wasn't succeeding, he never got too low, and I think a guy like that, once the highs come, and they have success, the confidence grows exponentially."

Sikes continued, "He's a throwback player in that way. It's not about where you start, it's about where you finish. I'm sure five years ago if you would have said he'd be leading the Big Ten in hitting, people would scratch their head. He took the long road, and the harder road, and it's made all the difference."

Peterson's journey throughout baseball has come full circle. Never being the biggest or strongest, having to overcome injuries and doubt, he fought hard to accomplish his dreams.

"I have brothers here, my best friends in the world now are my teammates" said Peterson. "I've enjoyed every single second of it."

Now, thanks to the NCAA's decision to grant spring season seniors an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Peterson is one of the five seniors who will be coming back to MSU for another year, giving him even more time to enjoy with his teammates.

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