The Quiet Star of Emerson Baseball

Peter Maltzen standing at second base. (Courtesy of Austin Fontanella)

By Ian Brophy

On cold February days in Boston, in the basement level of 150 Boylston Street you can find the Emerson College baseball team practicing on a basketball court.

The practices can get quite loud with music blaring and baseballs being hit, thrown, and caught. You can also hear several team captains pushing the team to work harder in preparation for the upcoming season. Among all the noise will be a tall lanky outfielder, with a mustache that reminds you of the 70’s, practicing with a quiet intensity.

Peter Maltzan, a senior team captain from Lexington, Mass., will begin his fourth season with the Emerson Lions. He has been a constant source of production for the Lions with his incredible work ethic and determination to do things the right way.

“He really leads by example. He is not the guy that really gets in your face and yells at people, but he goes out there and does everything right, everything mechanically sound and just sets a good example for the underclassmen,” said Malcolm Kelner, a freshman outfielder.

Peter Maltzan (Left), James Sullivan (Center), Adam Speakman (Right). (Courtesy of Austin Fontanella)

Maltzan, also known as “Salty,” wasn’t always viewed as a star, but he quickly proved his doubters wrong and has started every year he has played for Emerson.

“Maltzan doesn’t look or really act anything like ball players of today,” said Austin Fontanella, a fellow senior captain and outfielder. “He loves the old school facial hair, he rocks the tight fitting legs up baseball pants, and he is 100 percent fundamentally sound.  We all knew he was fundamentally sound when we first met him, but no one though he would be as good as he has been.”

After starting his freshman year with a .271 batting average, he had a breakout sophomore year averaging .376 and breaking an Emerson single season record with 37 RBIs.

Maltzan, a Berklee College of Music student, said he wasn’t even sure he was going to play college baseball when he came out of high school. As a freshman at Emmanuel College he played club baseball and then transferred to Berklee.

As a Berklee student he found out he could play for Emerson through the Pro Arts Consortium.

“I was pretty stoked to get on the team and it has been a lot of fun,” Maltzan said. “I have tried to make the most of this opportunity.”

Maltzan has earned the respect of his teammates but has also earned honors from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. He was name second team all-conference in 2010 as a sophomore and third team all-conference in 2011.

“He is always looking to get better and finding ways to help us out,” Fontanella said. “He is never just sitting around during practice, but always looking for ways to work on his skills.”

Fontanella added that Maltzan has been working hard in the offseason to become more solid defensively.

“Salty really worked on getting quicker in the off season… He is definitely faster and has been tracking down everything during practice,” Fontanella said. “It’s good to know he is out there because I know left field is secure.”

Maltzan credited his “unique intensity” for his success during his time at Emerson, while he looks to add onto a career batting average of .325 for the Lions.

Peter Maltzan at bat. (Courtesy of Austin Fontanella)

“You just have to trust yourself in the moment and find a way to relax,” said Maltzan. “I am a big believer in being relaxed and comfortable. I just try to clear my head as much as possible and react.”

Maltzan added that he thinks the team can have its most successful season ever, but he just wants to focus on the next game and the next moment.

“I think we have a shot at a 20 win season,” said Maltzan. “Baseball is a funny game, it’s hard to predict. I try not to look too far down the road.”