Delta College’s baseball team finished 2nd in state for the 2023-24 season and had 23 four-year transfers for the third year in a row with 20 plus transfers. The end of the year also saw beloved coach Reed Peters leave the program but stay local and become the head coach at the University of Pacific.
Despite all the successes and changes, the team had its fair share of challenges dealing with injuries and not being able to play at home Nick Ceccheiti Baseball Field due to safety issues.
The team also tragically lost a player, Sophomore pitcher Will Wentworth died in November 2023. Wentworth didn’t play his freshman year but was expected to be a pitcher out of the bullpen his sophomore year.
Delta finished the season 27-13 going 17-7 in conference games. Outfielders Dom Rodriguez, Park Romney, and starting pitcher right-hander Tyson Pereira led the team.
Rodriguez was the best hitter on the team statistically. He led the team in batting average (.448) on-base percentage (.533) home runs (12) doubles (19) and hits (90). He committed to the University of Arizona to continue his baseball career.
“Going to Delta and having Coach Peter’s as a coach impacted my career in the best way possible,” said Rodriguez as he praised Delta’s baseball program and Peters.“It changed my career and made me the hitter I am today I’m glad I decided to come to Delta.”
Rodriguez commented on Delta’s tough journey and losing Wentworth.
“It was a crazy journey for sure, I didn’t even think we were going to go far into playoffs after a rough start to the season. Losing Will was tough, it shocked all of us, and moving on from that was very difficult. We then said it at the end of the fall “Let’s just go win states now, for Will” We knew it wouldn’t be easy, so we all had to buy in and work harder as a team,” he Said.
Starter Tyson Pereira was a well-needed workhorse for the team, meaning he threw lots of innings and was reliable for pitching. He led the team in wins (8) innings pitched (79.2) games started (17). He’s committed to San Jose State and will start pitching there next season.
Pereira said Peters believed in him despite dealing with his own injury.
“Coach Peters played a huge part in my development leading to success here. Coach believed in me coming back my sophomore year after having Tommy John and seeing that visible confidence in me is truly something that carried into my mindset to compete to the best of my ability,” said Pereira. “The legacy and connections that Coach Peters has built at Delta is one of the main reasons why we are good every year… the man puts us in a position to win ball games and knows what he’s doing.”
Tommy John is a very serious elbow injury and common surgery for baseball pitchers. Its recovery time can be up to one year.
Pereira says it was bittersweet to get second in state. “It was not the result we wanted. Nonetheless at the beginning of the year, where we ended up was nowhere close to where we thought we would be. Getting hot at the right time contributed to our success.”
He said Wentworth’s passing was difficult but he praised the impact he had on the team.
“Many of the guys were super close with Will and looked up to him because of the energy and focus he brought to the field every day. This did give us a little bit more motivation because if you didn’t have a motive, it was the play for the WW on the sleeve of our jersey, I would say Will was the main component in our success this year,” he said.
Outfielder Park Romney was a solid outfielder and also contributed to our successful season. He had a .299 batting average and hit 11 doubles while playing very good defense. Romney will join Peters and keep playing at the University of Pacific.
Romney said the obstacles they faced were difficult but brought the team together. “Losing Will was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through, but having my team to lean on in hard times was really helpful. Coach is a huge advocate of mental health.”
All three players commented about not being able to play at home and had different responses.
“Not playing at Delta sucked, but we just thought of it as we were always playing on the road and if we were to win when we’re the home team, then we could go to someone else’s house and beat them there too,” said Rodriguez.
However, Pereira mentioned that former players were used to not playing at home.
“Not playing at Delta was something that the returners were used to, However, sometimes it did not feel like playing at UOP, Banner Island, and Islander Field were home games. On the other hand, though, good teams find ways to win no matter what obstacles they face”, said Pereira.
Lastly, Romney said it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“It wasn’t ideal not being able to play on our field, but that wasn’t as big of an issue,” said Romney.
