Peter Van Loon's Journey Takes Him from Ohlone to the Baltimore Orioles
Former Ohlone College pitcher Peter Van Loon, finished his first season in Major League Baseball earlier this Fall. The 6’05, flame-throwing right-hander from Danville, CA, signed with UC Irvine after two stellar seasons at Ohlone College 2018 and 2019, before signing his MLB contract this past June.
Van Loon’s journey from California High School in Danville to his first season with the Baltimore Orioles, has been checkered with ups and downs.
After pitching sparingly at California High School, Van Loon came to Ohlone with a fastball clocked around 83-84 MPH, and some average off-speed stuff. Van Loon worked tirelessly on his strength and conditioning, on perfecting his slider and change, and dove headfirst into learning everything possible about pitching. After a strong freshman year at 2018 at Ohlone, where the Renegades captured Conference, Regional, and Super Regional Championships, Van Loon was primed for a breakout year at Ohlone as an experienced sophomore. “He understood the value of hard work and commitment,” explained Ohlone Head Coach Mike Curran. “It’s cliché to say ‘that kid doesn’t get outworked by anyone,’ but for Pete, it was true. He was up morning after morning at 5:30 AM to go to the gym. He changed his body, added to his velo, and it just all took off from there.”
In 2019, Van Loon was selected as a CCCBCA Pre-Season All-American and dominated all season long. His second start of the season saw him strikeout 14 batters over seven innings in a 7-2 win over Contra Costa College. His velocity climbed to 92 MPH, and at one point, he won five straight decisions and six out of seven. However, on April 1, 2019, Van Loon was injured mid-game, while pitching against Cabrillo College. With a scholarship to UC Irvine already in hand, Van Loon was shut down by Ohlone’s athletic trainers and coaches to allow him to heal in time for the next Fall. “It was a huge loss,” explained Curran. “But, it was the right thing to do (shutting him down). We all knew he would be pitching on Major League fields someday, and his health was just too important to mess with.” Van Loon, despite missing the final six weeks of the season, would finish #1 in the Coast Conference with a 2.20 ERA, and #2 in strikeouts (behind Ohlone’s Andrew Amato) with 72.
It was off to UC Irvine and Van Loon found himself in the starting rotation in his first season. But like his 2019 season, his 2020 season would be cut short as well, but this time for a different reason. The COVID-19 pandemic ended the season of every college baseball team in America, and for Van Loon, he was again wondering what could have been.
But in 2021, Van Loon would have the chance to pitch a full season. He was one of the best arms for the Anteaters. Head Coach Ben Orloff said, “He was awesome for us.” Van Loon would finish 5-3, with a 4.42 ERA. Most impressively though was his durability (73.1 innings) and his strikeout-to-walk ration (87 K’s to only 20 walks). Van Loon was taken in the 16th Round in the Major League Baseball Draft in June and after staying in shape for a few starts in the Cape Cod League (with the Bourne Braves), was immediately sent to pitch for the Delmarva Shorebirds in Single-A.
Van Loon finished his first season in minor league baseball with 13 innings pitched. His ERA finished at 3.46 as he allowed just 11 hits while striking out 16 batters (he did not walk a single batter). Van Loon ended up staying in Florida after the season to continue to work with coaches in the Orioles organization at Instructional ball.
“His development and his journey have just been incredible,” said Coach Curran. “He’s one of my favorite guys to ever come through here. He’s just such a fun guy, he’s intelligent, he’s hard-working, he’s humble. He became part of our family as he was my son’s Confirmation sponsor. He’s just so well-grounded and that’s a testament to his parents and to Pete, himself.”
Regarding his journey? “He barely pitched in high school and then really took off while he was here,” said Curran. “He continued to develop at Irvine and now, it seems like he’s just getting started.” Van Loon’s journey may only be in its early stages – only time will tell how long his journey continues for.