During 17 seasons as head baseball coach at San Joaquin Delta College, Reed Peters compiled a 386-167 record and won two state championships. Now in his second year leading the Tigers, he’s building University of the Pacific's program with familiar pieces.

Six student-athletes on the roster previously played for Peters at Delta, including Brendan O’Sullivan ’26, an emergency management science major, and Braeden Schnabel ’27, an economics major.

“It’s nice to have some guys who are familiar with the way we operate,” Peters said. “They know the chemistry we want in the program here.”

That familiarity has helped accelerate a cultural shift.

Last season, Pacific reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2019 and finished one win shy of its first-ever West Coast Conference Tournament berth. The narrow miss left motivation simmering through the offseason.

“We’re really close,” said Schnabel, who led the Tigers with six home runs in 2025. “There’s going to be a lot of fun moments. I think we have the potential to do something this program hasn’t done and make a run in the West Coast Conference tournament.”

For Schnabel, Peters’ belief in him dates back to his freshman year at Delta.

“When I got there, he said freshmen don’t usually play—they have to earn their spot,” Schnabel said. “I played well that fall, and he was a man of his word. He gave me that opportunity right away.”

When Peters accepted the Pacific job, Schnabel didn’t hesitate to follow.

“He’s my favorite coach I’ve ever played for,” Schnabel said. “He has so much knowledge of the game. It’s an honor to play for him.”

O’Sullivan made a similar decision. After hitting .273 across two seasons at the University of Las Vegas, he was granted another year of eligibility and knew exactly where he wanted to spend it.

“When I got that extra year, I knew I wanted to keep playing,” O’Sullivan said. “I knew he was here at Pacific. It was an easy choice. We’re building something great, and I think we’re on the right path.”

That path includes a tougher non-conference schedule in 2026, a deliberate move by Peters to prepare his team for the grind of West Coast Conference play.

“We have more depth than we did last year,” Peters said. “The non-conference schedule will test us, but it’ll also get us ready to make a run and get into the tournament.”

The Tigers open the season Feb. 13 with an eight-game homestand at Klein Family Field, hoping the lessons Peters has instilled—preparation, trust and chemistry—translate into the program’s next step forward. See the full baseball schedule.