The position of pitcher is one that is stereotypically pressure-filled and spotlight heavy. This suggests that most players consciously make the decision to play the position. However, Peloquin landed the job by chance after her first team was lacking on the mound. After stepping in for a few games and benefiting from coaches' instructions on how to actually pitch, Peloquin found she actually enjoyed pitching. She has been hooked ever since.
Although a team with the name like the Berkley Scooby Doos may not suggest national-caliber talent, it was there that this pitcher got her roots. After the Scooby Doos, it was off to the Taunton Senior Girls League, the Duke Blue Devils travel team, an indoor winter league, the Somerset, Mass. J.V. team, the Coyle Cassidy varsity team and, finally, the Lord Jeffs squad. The string of teams Peloquin can put on her resume is indicative of the amount of time she spent thinking about and practicing softball and pitching during elementary, middle and high schools. "I just played as much ball as I possibly could," Peloquin said. "Whenever one of my teams didn't have a tournament to go to, I'd play for a team that did."
This degree of dedication and strong work ethic is evident to this day. The thesis-writing biology major has still found time to practice pitching every day since the beginning of Interterm and continues to pitch twice a week during the off-season, while also going to the gym as much as possible. And while practice may not make perfect, it sure made Peloquin near so. In high school, Peloquin lined the walls of her room with trophies and awards such as the Boston Globe All-Scholastic in '97 and '98, Boston Herald All-Scholastic in '97 and '98, a national fast-pitch high school coaches association/Louisville Slugger All-American in '97 and '98, the League All-Star in '97 and '98 and the League MVP in '97 and '98.
Here at Amherst, Peloquin has earned All-Region all three years that she's pitched. She was also the NESCAC Player of the Year 2000, the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year in 2001,and a third team All-American in '99. Besides a 14-5 record and 170 strikeouts last season, her 0.43 earned run average for the 2001 season was enough to catapult her to fourth in the nation. This season, Peloquin's performance has been no different than in years past. Her 10-3 record and 1.14 era have helped lead the Jeffs to an 11-6 overall record. While Peloquin has already amassed two shutouts and recently pitched a complete game win against Wesleyan last weekend, she has not forgotten about offense either. Her pair of doubles in the Jeffs' contest last Saturday makes her one of Amherst's top offensive threats.
In any serious endeavor, it's helpful to have role models to look to for advice and guidance. But as Peloquin pointed out, "role models in the realm of softball weren't exactly easy to find when I was a kid. I mostly just watched the girls I was playing against, figured out who was the best and said to myself, 'I want to be as good as her. No, I want to be better than her.' And that was what I worked for." This constant quest for improvement is something that will allow Peloquin to continue to succeed, both on and off the mound.