The next thing that could make Brighton High School baseball player Bryce Peterson nervous will be signing his letter of intent in front of family and friends in the spring.
He took care of a big part of the nerves by committing to Western Nebraska Community College in Alliance, Nebraska.
“I chose WNCC because it provided the best opportunity to grow as a person and player for my first two years of college,” Peterson said. “I was able to take a visit on campus and see everything the school had to offer. Coach (Mike) Jones was there when I was visiting, along with the players who I got to talk to as well. After other visits before WNCC, I knew that it was the right place when I got there.
In 18 games for the Bulldogs last season, Peterson batted .333. Nine of his 18 hits were for extra bases, and he drove in 10 runs.
“Distance did play a role in my choice, because it is close enough to home that I could spend a couple weekends with my family and also far enough that I would be able to start my own journey,” he said. “There were other schools interested in me joining their programs, and it was overwhelming for a little while with all of the coaches reaching out and trying to keep everything aligned.”
Peterson joins a long list of high-school athletes who wound up in a college in spite of the ongoing pandemic. He called the process “extremely crazy, to say the least.”
“The amount of players entering the portal and the size of some of the rosters was crazy to see in front of me, and I’m just thankful that I got an opportunity during this time,” Peterson said.
He wants to study business management and turn that into running or owning a business with his sister later on.
“Being committed heading into the spring season definitely take some weight off of the shoulders,” Peterson said. “Even with that, we still have to go compete and have another great playoff caliber season.
“I’m more excited than nervous about heading into college soon,” he continued. “I think it will focus me onto the things that I can truly accomplish with the right opportunities. I’d like to thank God first and foremost for this opportunity and also thank my parents, sister and anyone who has been by my side to drive me to this point.
“Definitely can’t forget to live out every moment of my senior year even with the future ahead of me, and I can’t wait for the memories I am going to create this year.”