This feature is part of a series profiling the seven members of the UIC Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023. This year's class will be inducted during ceremonies on Sept. 23 as part of the inaugural Flames Fest weekend at UIC.
 
By AJ Schraffenberger, UIC Assistant Athletics Director – Communications & Creative Services
 
Standing 60 feet, six inches away from home plate, atop a mound of dirt and a slab of rubber, a baseball pitcher holds the fate of his team in his hand. From 2004-07, when UIC baseball fans saw the pitcher on the mound was Zach Peterson, they knew great things were in store.
 
Great things are now just days away for Peterson, who will be inducted into the UIC Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday. He will be the 35^th Flames baseball player to receive the distinction, the most from any UIC athletics program.
 
"It's a special honor for me to be included in the Class of 2023 for the UIC Athletics Hall of Fame," Peterson said. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at UIC, and to be enshrined with an honor like this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Peterson was a critical member of the Flames' program during some of its greatest seasons, helping UIC to four consecutive Horizon League titles, a pair of Horizon League Tournament championships and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. He is the winningest pitcher in school history (27 wins), was the 2007 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and was a five-time Horizon League Pitcher of the Week, tying for the third-most weekly pitching honors in conference history.
 
The three-time All-Horizon League First Team selection was also a member of both the 2006 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Rawlings NCAA All-Mideast Region Second Team.
 
"I'm thrilled for Zach," commented UIC baseball all-time coaching wins leader Mike Dee, who was the Flames' head coach during Peterson's time at UIC. "The thing that always stood out to me about Zach was not just his love for the game of baseball, but his constant drive to be the best he could possibly be."
 
Along with his record-setting 27 wins, Peterson finished his career with 206 strikeouts in 333.1 innings. The Minnetonka, Minn., product ranks among the top five in five career categories — wins (1^st), innings pitched (2^nd), winning percentage (3^rd - .771), strikeouts (4^th) and starts (4^th - 42).
 
"I'm really excited for Zach," said UIC baseball head coach Sean McDermott, who was an assistant coach with the Flames during Peterson's career. "Zach is a hard-nosed competitor and really epitomized what UIC baseball is all about. He came here, he got better and helped us win championships. Zach is a winner and there is not a more deserving UIC baseball player to receive this honor than Zach Peterson."
 
After his star-studded career at UIC, Peterson played three seasons of minor league baseball (2007-09) in the Kansas City Royals organization, posting a 13-8 record with nine saves, a 2.99 ERA, 185 strikeouts and only 47 walks in 211.0 innings. He then played one season with the independent St. Paul Saints of the American Association, going 7-6 with a 3.65 ERA, 77 strikeouts and two complete games in 101.0 innings.
 
Peterson has retired from professional baseball and is now a real estate investor in Phoenix, Ariz., where Peterson and his wife, Laura, live with their three children (Zane, Colt and Livia).