On May 12th, Heritage senior shortstop Brenton Peters signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Cornell University next year.

A three-year starter with the Pride, Peters was one of the top lead-off hitters in the Dulles District. He showcased his five-tool ability both at the plate and in the field, helping guide Heritage to a second place finish in the district this spring and an 11-9 record overall. The Big Red - a Division I program that competes in the Ivy League - first expressed interest in Peters following his sophomore year. Since then, playing at Cornell where he can compete at the top level and obtain an Ivy League education has been his top goal.

"Their school is amazing and their baseball team meshes together really well," Peters said. "They've been building success after success, and I'm ready to get into the middle of that.

"It's been one of my goals - ever since I knew what a Division I program was - to play Division I baseball and to get a really good education out of it, too. My whole family has been working with me to get me to that goal."

Peters, who also played guard for the Pride varsity basketball team the last two seasons and was a key cog on their 2007-08 district title team, has maintained a grade point average at or above 4.0 for his entire four years at Heritage. He hopes to major in political science and pursue a law degree.

Although Cornell recruited him to play middle infield, Peters said he's willing to play in the outfield or anywhere else that allows him to get on the field.

"They just want to get me in the lineup as soon as possible," Peters said. "If that means that I need to play outfield for a year or move from short or second to third, I'll do it. They just want me to get in the lineup any way possible."

The Big Red finished the 2009 season with an overall record of 17-23 and an even 10-10 mark in the conference.