Greenbrier East centerfielder Peyton DeHaven had no choice but to play baseball and roam the outfield.
Basically, a replica of his father, Jason, P. DeHaven plays very similarly. He can cover a lot of ground, make a diving catch as he did the last weekend of the regular season, and put pressure on defenses with his speed on the basepaths. DeHaven says that the family bloodlines run deep, so many of his attributes come naturally.
“My family has been very competitive,” DeHaven said.
“My mom played softball as well in high school and was a phenomenal pitcher and even had the opportunities to go play in college just like my dad with baseball. They are always pushing me to do my best and wanting me to achieve my goals and play to the best of my ability no matter what. My dad has given me some good advice about being an outfielder as well. Some advice he has given me is that being a centerfielder you have priority over the field and go for and get anything that you can get,” DeHaven stated.
His parents’ advice resonates well, but Peyton has also figured out a lot about the position from playing it himself as well. He has developed some advantages that he uses sometimes before the ball is even pitched to the batter, and from where he stands right behind the pitcher, he uses those advantages wisely.
“Playing the outfield, you have to be locked in and ready every single pitch. One of my strategies is anticipating where the ball is going to go. For example, if a right-handed batter is up and the catcher has his glove set up inside, I’ll slide over more into the left center gap and when the pitch is thrown, I’ll do my prep step into that gap and vice versa,” DeHaven explained.
“Sometimes you may not always be correct, but doing this helps you get better reads and jumps when you anticipate correctly. Being the center fielder, I have the mentality that whatever I can get to I’m going to get to, and that also helps with your jumps and reads because you are always wanting the ball,” he continued.
He does not make many, but if DeHaven ever does commit an error or make a mistake, his coaches let he and his teammates know to always just forget about it and focus on the next play, and that advice helped East log a come-from-behind-win over a top 10 Bridgeport team in the season finale.
“Our coaches always want us forgetting what happened before and having a “so what? Next pitch” mentality. That was our mindset during the game. We executed and came out on top. It felt great and everyone was hyped. That gives us a great confidence boost heading into the post-season,” DeHaven said.
DeHaven’s coaches also have helped prepare him and many others before him for the next level, and he is extremely happy the program is run like it is.
“Coach Mann, Coach Laird, and Coach Boswell are great coaches and are very knowledgeable of the game. They also run a college-like program which has been preparing me for my goal of playing college baseball. They also are very high on character and hold you accountable for your mistakes which will help in the future.
East opens sectional play on Tuesday, May 9, so the goal of a title is here right now. However, DeHaven is poised for a huge senior season in 2024, and his future goals seem set as well.
“Heading into my senior year next season, the main goal is always to win a state championship, but some personal goals of mine are receiving all-state honors and going on to continue my career playing college baseball,” DeHaven concluded.
