Former Canyon baseball player Drew Peterson has been named the new Canyon varsity baseball head coach.

Peterson will be replacing Adam Schulhofer who will be stepping down after eight years in his second stint as the Cowboys head coach.

After graduating from Canyon in 2004, Peterson went on to play baseball at San Jose State before coming back to play a year at College of the Canyons. He finished college ball at Cal State San Bernardino where he graduated with a degree in Kinesiology.

After playing professionally with the Ruidoso Osos in the Mexican Independent League (where he was an all-star in 2011), Peterson came back to Southern California. He was most recently the hitting coach at Ayala High School, where the Bulldogs hit .332 as a team and finished one game out of the Palomares League championship.

“He was a former Cowboy, so he has that connection,” said Canyon assistant principal Andy Keyne. “He was well respected and well liked when he played at Canyon, and beyond, where he has demonstrated some leadership.”

As for Peterson, his goal is to turn the Cowboys into a perennial Foothill League and CIF Southern Section power.

“I’m very excited to be returning to Canyon High School,” he said.  “I bleed green and gold. I had some of the best memories of my life there playing football and baseball.”

Former head coach Scott Willis, who was an assistant most recently with Schulhofer, as well as an assistant when Peterson played for the Cowboys, will stay on.

“The Foothill league is a powerhouse conference filled with lots of talent and I’m looking forward to the challenge of coaching in it,” Peterson said.

With an interest in teaching, Peterson will most likely become a teacher at Canyon.