The Deuce

By James Joseph
WSL Senior Features Writer

How valuable is midfielder Peter Baum to the Lincoln lacrosse team?

So valuable that his coach, Will Harris, is thinking about dropping him to attack so he does not ever have to leave the field.

“He can have that much impact on the game that, to have him on the bench even for a three-minute stretch when the second line is playing, you’ve got to ask yourself, ‘Why am I doing that?’ Harris said.

The problem with moving Baum to attack, of course, is it minimizes the effect he can have on defense – and Harris calls him one of the top defenders in the state.

Harris hasn’t yet made up his mind where he will play Baum, but this much is certain: Baum will make his presence felt wherever he is on the field.

The senior, who has accepted a partial athletic scholarship to play NCAA Division I lacrosse at Colgate next year, is ranked No. 2 on WSL’s Boys Elite 25 individual player rankings list.

“He’s got both the physical attributes and the hard work and dedication that really creates a complete player,” Harris said.

Baum has good size (6-foot-1, 180 pounds), but the first thing that stands out is his blazing speed.

“I don’t care what sport you’re playing, speed really does kill,” Harris said. “He has explosive speed and speed over the course of the field, but he’s also got agility to turn that speed into pretty dynamic change-of-direction. That makes him an extraordinarily effective dodger.”

Baum also possesses a rocket of a shot, can shoot well on the run and is similarly deadly going left and right. He said some coaches who recruited him after watching him on tape mistook him for a lefty.

That probably has at least something to do with Baum’s ice hockey background. He played the game at highly competitive levels through his freshman year before getting burned out on the sport. But he credits his time on the ice with developing his hand-eye coordination (Baum is a master stick-handler) and balance.

“I’m not the biggest guy, but I never find myself getting knocked off the ball,” Baum said.

Baum, whose father played at Colgate, began playing lacrosse in sixth grade and quickly took to the sport. Last season he helped lead Lincoln to its first state title. He wants to do the same this season.

“Anything less than a state championship will be a failure in my opinion,” he said. “Any time you come off a year when you win a state championship, anything less won’t be satisfactory.”

Baum will get plenty of time on the field to lead Lincoln to a second straight crown. No matter where he plays.

“He’s going to get as many minutes as we think he can run,” Harris said.