Meet Liam Peterson: How A New Pitching Outlook Helped Put The Florida Ace On Brink Of Stardom

Having earned his place in Florida’s weekend rotation as a true freshman in 2024, Peterson’s debut season had offered a promising glimpse of the potential his coaches had described as astronomical. Yet, in the cauldron of the College World Series, with the Gators’ national championship aspirations hanging in the balance, Peterson stumbled.

Charged with the loss after surrendering two earned runs on four walks and recording just one out against eventual national runner-up Texas A&M, his unraveling came at the most critical juncture.

Just as the weight of that failure began to settle in, it was a fellow freshman pitcher, righthander Christian Rodriguez, who confronted Peterson. He did so, not with sympathy, but with an unvarnished truth that would profoundly alter Peterson’s outlook on both himself and the game he loved.

“He looks at me on the bench literally within a few minutes of me even leaving the field and was like, ‘Hey, your stuff’s really good and you’re one of the best pitchers we’ve got,’” Peterson recalled. “‘But you give in to the moment. You pitch to the other team’s strengths and not to your strengths. You let them get to you, and instead of throwing your best stuff out there, you overthink it.’”

Initially, Peterson felt a surge of resistance to Rodriguez’s blunt critique.

He had believed his fierce drive and unyielding desire to succeed were misinterpreted as distractions. And, after all, he was still a freshman. Perhaps, he reasoned, time and experience would naturally yield greater consistency.

But as Peterson reflected on Rodriguez’s words, the sobering realization that his teammate was right began to set in. Peterson’s mental game was underdeveloped. While his mechanics might still have been raw, it was his mindset that needed the most refinement.

He understood that addressing it was his most pressing priority as he prepared for what loomed as a high-profile sophomore season.

“Honestly,” Peterson said, “I think that was the conversation that will give me a chance to be an ace.”

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When Christian Ostrander watched Liam Peterson throw for the first time over the summer at the USA Collegiate National Team training camp in Cary, NC, the Southern Miss head coach saw a young pitcher desperate for answers. 

Still reeling from his performance in Omaha, Peterson’s mind grappled with the negative thoughts and mental barriers that would surface at the slightest sign of underperformance.

He was also waging a more physical battle against his own mechanics. 

In 2024, Peterson offered a high-octane fastball, sharp slider and changeup that showed flashes of promise, but he struggled mightily with control, which limited his efficacy. He managed just one quality start in 16 opportunities and issued 6.29 free passes per nine innings, which Peterson later called “the most obvious sign that something just wasn’t working.”

That’s where Ostrander came in.

“One of the reasons I love working with USA is because I get to have these conversations with athletes I otherwise wouldn’t get to talk to,” Ostrander said. “Just like with Liam, there are always guys who are looking to get better over the summer, and it’s fun to be a small part of their process.”

For a pitcher like Peterson, whose stuff had the potential to dominate, the challenge wasn’t about adding more weapons, but about refining what he already had. The key was balance—streamlining his delivery without losing the firepower that made him a coveted arm.

Ostrander, recognizing the rising sophomore’s potential, turned to a solution that had worked for his previous pitchers: simplification. He knew that the more complicated a pitcher’s mechanics, the more prone they were to inconsistency, especially when pressure mounted. The answer, he believed, was in eliminating unnecessary movement—anything that could distract from the primary goal of delivering the ball with precision and velocity. By reducing extraneous elements in Peterson’s delivery, Ostrander felt the righty “could achieve anything.”

Their approach was straightforward, but not easy. 

For Peterson, it meant breaking down habits and mechanics he had spent years refining. 

“I was kind of still skeptical about it initially,” Peterson said. “It absolutely felt good, and I knew I’d be able to be in line more, but a bullpen is a lot easier to throw strikes in than when you have a hitter in the box and you need to execute against a guy who’s trying to take you deep.”

Ostrander recalled challenging Peterson to identify the why behind every movement—regaining control over the mental and physical elements that had previously held him back.

“We slowed things down,” Ostrander said. “We talked about every last detail of his mechanics and his goals and how we could make those things happen.”

They ultimately eliminated his backstep toward first base and raised his arm slot. The results were astounding.

“Man, by his last outing, it was big league-type stuff,” Ostrander said.

The feedback proved invaluable.

“Coach Ostrander was awesome,” Peterson said. “He probably doesn’t even realize it, but he made a huge difference for me this summer.”

As his new mechanics took hold, Peterson continued to make improvements. It’s been a process that has lasted well beyond the summer.

Florida pitching coach David Kopp and director of player development Mike Rivera helped Peterson to adopt a new fastball grip, which allowed the mid-to-high-90s offering to carry more life through the zone. Peterson’s higher-handed release also gave new shape to his curveball, which falls violently toward the earth and, so far, has proven to be a pitch hitters take for strikes.

Most importantly, he found the zone. Even with more movement and four distinct pitches, Peterson showed signs of being able to more accurately place the ball around the plate.

“I mean, he really started to take on this new form early in the fall,” Kopp said. “When he’s out there on the mound and he’s doing his thing like he can, there aren’t a lot of guys his age who can do it better.”

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It might sound odd, but according to Florida associate head coach Chuck Jeroloman, Gators designated hitter and catcher Brody Donay might have been the best thing for Peterson’s development throughout preseason camp.

Peterson threw the ball well throughout the lead up to the 2025 season but, seemingly no matter what he threw or how hard he threw it, he couldn’t get anything past Donay, who is one of the most powerful hitters in the country.

“In the weirdest way,” Jeroloman said, “I think Brody just having Liam’s number was exactly what Liam needed.”

As Jeroloman saw it, Donay tested Peterson’s mettle. The sophomore’s mechanics were improved and held true throughout the preseason. His pitches looked nearly perfect. But Donay simply beat him over and over again. 

A year ago, it might have caused him to spiral. This season, it seemed to light a fire.

“You could see it gave him a little more of an edge,” Jeroloman said. “He’s starting to figure it out.”

Added Kopp: “I think we’re seeing more of what he’s capable of.”

It’s continued into the start of the season, too.

Serving as Florida’s Friday night starter, Peterson has allowed just two earned runs on eight hits and four walks in 16 innings (three starts). He also holds an impressive 38.3% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate. 

The mechanics and pitches have impressed. His mental game has been just as high-performance.

Despite surrendering runs to rival Miami in the first and third innings last weekend, Peterson still threw six frames with eight strikeouts and allowed just one base runner in his final three innings of work.

“That’s probably the biggest takeaway for him tonight,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said after the game. “Even after the first inning when they scored, he kept it together. Their hitters did a nice job against him and ran his pitch count up to like 30 in the first. Maybe last year he wouldn’t have been able to keep it together for six innings. Tonight he was outstanding, and he set the tone for the weekend.”

Peterson has embraced his role as Florida’s frontman on the mound.

“If they have that much confidence in me to go out there and dominate, then I should have that same amount of confidence that I’m going to go out there and give you seven or eight innings every time,” he said. “If that’s what they believe in me, then that’s what I need to believe in myself. I believe it now.”

Peterson isn’t naive to his potential. With so much information at his fingertips, its almost impossible to ignore his coveted status for the 2026 draft.

Tabbed as BA’s No. 3 overall player and No. 1 pitcher in the 2026 college class, Peterson has the makings of a star. It’s a status he’s grown to realize is within his reach so long as he can continue to “play freely” and prevent new mental hurdles from standing in his way.

He views 2025 as his first big opportunity to prove he can do it.

“Everything will come together if I can just do two things differently from last year,” Peterson said. “I need to throw strikes and have a good mentality at all times.”

It’s easier said than done. Peterson knows there will be hiccups along the way. How he deals with them will define his season and further him along his current exceptional trajectory.

“He just needs to believe in his stuff and rest assured that he is ready for the moment and that his stuff is great,” Kopp said. “If can do that, he’ll be tough to hit.”

The early returns have been overwhelmingly positive.

“A lot more work to do,” Peterson said. “I’m taking it a start at a time.”