Collin Peacock has flashed his offensive potential over the past five weeks, potential that has DeSales University baseball coach Bryan Torresani projecting all-conference honors for Peacock in future years.

The freshman outfielder has already contributed to a MAC Freedom Conference regular-season championship with strong all-around play.

Peacock, a Bethlehem Catholic graduate, has his bat trending upward as No. 1 seed DeSales prepares for the MAC Freedom Conference tournament. He went 4-for-9 with five runs and two RBIs over the weekend as the Bulldogs swept a three-game series from Lebanon Valley to claim their first MAC Freedom regular-season title since 2018.

“It’s just a credit to coach Torresani,” Peacock said by phone Monday. “He just brings this winning atmosphere. It’s very hard for myself and my fellow teammates not to buy in to what he teaches and preaches.

“Baseball, he makes it very easy: score first, win every inning, and that’s how you come out with Ws.”

The Bulldogs have outperformed expectations — they were picked to finish fourth in the MAC Freedom preseason poll — with strong starting pitching and improved position-player depth. Peacock’s development is part of DeSales’ growth.

Early in the season, Peacock pulled too many pitches on the ground. At the college level, those tend to turn into outs.

He has used more of the field over the past month. Torresani pointed to a ball Peacock hit off the fence Sunday and a homer he hit at Misericordia as signs of his improved offense.

Peacock’s contributions extend beyond his extra-base potential. He has scored 27 runs and is tied for the team lead with 13 hit by pitches.

“Everyone wants to look at offense, and Collin’s a good hitter,” Torresani said. “He’s going to be a .300-plus hitter and be an all-conference player. He’s going to have a great career at DeSales.

“But he’s a tremendous outfielder, No. 1. He takes runs off the board. He made a play yesterday at Lebanon Valley that was one of the best catches I’ve seen in my 20 years doing this. He gets hit by pitches. He walks. He’s a good baserunner.

“So, he just does a lot of things well. And he’s not afraid. For a freshman to come in and play that much and earn a job from some upperclassmen that have played a lot in this program says a lot about the type of kid Collin in.”

DeSales (28-11 overall, 18-3 MAC Freedom) will look to Peacock and the rest of the lineup to continue performing when it hosts No. 4 seed Stevens in a best-of-three MAC Freedom semifinal series Friday and Saturday. The Bulldogs won all three of the teams’ regular-season meetings, including two during their spring break trip to Port Charlotte, Fla.

Stevens (26-13, 14-7) closed strong to nab the final spot in the conference tournament. The Ducks went into their regular-season finale Tuesday with a 10-game winning streak, including two victories over No. 2 seed Arcadia in mid-April. They own the MAC Freedom’s best team ERA at 4.76.

“We’ve just got to continue to trust our process,” Peacock said. “The little victories we celebrate lead to big victories in the end. That’s what coach Torresani preaches to us.”

Added Torresani: “I feel really good on the whole. I think our mindset’s in the right place, and our guys are just hungry to keep winning and honestly just make this season last as long as it possibly can.”

Winding down: East Stroudsburg and Kutztown wrap up PSAC East regular-season play by facing one another in doubleheaders Thursday and Friday.

ESU (31-13 overall, 17-7 PSAC East) still has a chance to capture the PSAC East title. The Warriors have won 14 of their last 15 games and have already clinched a PSAC tournament berth.

Kutztown (16-25, 6-18) is trending the other way. The Golden Bears have lost seven straight, continuing to struggle at the plate. They began the week with the fewest runs (71), lowest batting average (.225) and lowest on-base percentage (.321) in PSAC games.

While Kutztown has scuffled overall, junior outfielder Bo Barthol (Parkland) can achieve a couple of personal milestones against ESU. He needs to score two runs to reach 100 for his career. He has already tied his single-season high with 38 runs this season.

Barthol can also post a .300 batting average for a third straight season. He is hitting .301.

Deschenes delivers: Seton Hill right-hander Luke Deschenes (Emmaus) has pitched at least six innings and allowed two or fewer earned runs in four straight starts. He is 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA in 59 innings (11 starts) for the Griffins (37-9 overall, 22-2 PSAC West).

Seton Hill clinched its fourth straight PSAC West title with Sunday’s doubleheader sweep of Gannon. It will face either the East No. 4 seed or West No. 5 seed in a PSAC tournament quarterfinal May 7.

Stephen Miller is a freelance writer