Reed all about it: a new era of Pacific baseball

Head coach Reed Peters will usher in a new era of University of the Pacific baseball ahead of the 2025 season. With a new coaching staff and a retooled roster, the Tigers are set to ride a wave of excitement into Klein Family Field this year.

“It’s my first time in the league, but I’m excited to get started,” Peters said. “Our fall has been good, getting these guys ready for the season. I believe we will be more competitive than in years past. It would be great if we can make the conference tournament, that would be a big achievement.”

The top six teams out of the nine-team conference qualify for the West Coast Conference Tournament May 21-24 in Las Vegas.

Peters is familiar with the friendly confines of Klein Family Field, coming from San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton where he spent the previous 17 seasons compiling a 386-167 record and placing 140 student-athletes at Division I institutions during that span.

Peters built one of the top baseball programs in the country at Delta and guided the Mustangs to a pair of State Championships in 2011 and 2018, four state Runner-Ups in 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2024, eight Final Fours and 12 Elite Eight appearances.

Joining Pacific as the 20th head coach in program history, Peters looks to bring his successful coaching philosophies and an uplifting culture to the team.

“Depth is key for having a winning team,” Peters said. “I believe we have enough depth on the mound to play the matchup game well with teams this season. We’ll look to play the short game as well. If we can execute well in big situations and get timely defense, we’ll have a good chance to win games.”

In addition to the head coach, the Tigers have a new pitching coach in Grant Kukuk, who is excited to work with Peters at Pacific after his previous role at Utah Valley.

“It’s exciting to have a fresh start with a lot of guys coming in this season,” Kukuk said. “From a rotation and bullpen perspective, we’ll throw more strikes and get more outs. I’m ready to see how these arms will shape out throughout the season. I’m optimistic to work with coach Peters and see how we transform the baseball program together. We have a great group of guys who will work hard to compete and win some ball games.”

The Tigers have 20 new faces on the 2025 roster, including four players who worked with Peters at Delta last year. Logan Drummond ’26, one of the new players on this year’s squad, is looking forward to maintaining his relationship with Peters and pitching at Pacific.

“I loved playing for coach Peters at Delta last year,” Drummond said. “It’s exciting to get back on the field and play for a great coach. He’s very respectable and everyone will hear what he has to say. We have a lot of hard workers in the weight room and in the field that are going to make an impact this year.”

The Tigers will play 56 games during the regular season with 27 games played at Klein Family Field. Pacific opens the season at home against UC San Diego Friday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. See the full schedule.