Athlete of the Week: Peyton Larrabee, from all-state basketball to Endicott Gulls baseball

Bow High School senior Peyton Larrabee has had a big impact on every team he’s joined. Now, he’s headed to Endicott, a top D3 baseball program, in hopes of doing the same.

Larrabee was an all-state first team pitcher last year and was recently named to the all-state second team in basketball after leading the Falcons in the paint and underneath.

It’s no surprise that Larrabee has seen so much success, considering both of his older siblings also went off on their own collegiate sports path.

His brother Cooper played football for Beloit College and his sister Alex currently plays lacrosse for Colgate University. Sometimes the expectations can put a lot of pressure on the youngest, but Larrabee handles that on the court and mound just fine.

Two years ago, Bow went all the way to the championship and Larrabee wants to take them back as the leading pitcher before heading to the North Shore to join the Gulls.

As his final season of NHIAA baseball began, the Monitor asked Larrabee to reflect upon what’s behind him and what he hopes for his future.

What’s your fondest baseball memory?

The fondest memory I have over all of the years of playing baseball has been winning the state championship my sophomore year of high school.

What’s the toughest part of being a pitcher?

In my opinion, the toughest part of being a pitcher is the mental side of things. Being able to have a short memory and not let the last batter or the last inning affect how you do is the most important characteristic to have as a pitcher.

How have you worked to improve as a pitcher while also playing basketball in the winter?

Playing basketball definitely challenged my ability to focus as much as I would have liked to do so on baseball. I have tried to train for baseball throughout the winter, but it has required me to spend a lot of late nights going to Massachusetts to work out with pitching coaches or going to the gym after 9 p.m., but I am grateful for all the people who have helped me achieve all of my goals.

What’s your favorite pitch to throw and why?

I have always been known to throw hard and so I think it would come as no surprise that it is my fastball.

What are your personal goals for this upcoming baseball season?

My personal goals for this baseball season are to, of course, win another state championship for my town, but I also want to try and get as ready as I can for college baseball next season and be as prepared as possible to play at the next level.

How do you think you and the Falcons can have a big season this spring?

I believe that we can have a very successful season this year because we have very solid pitching and a good core group of young guys. I think our biggest struggle will be the fact that our team is very young and having to build that team chemistry can take time. One of the reasons for our success the last few years has been our amazing chemistry and with over half our teaming being called up from junior varsity this year that is something we will have to work on. But I am confident with this great group of guys it will come together.

What excites you most about Endicott baseball? Why did you choose it?

I am super excited for Endicott next year because I want to play baseball at the highest level I possibly can and also play for a national championship. I chose Endicott because whenever I toured colleges, I would always ask myself if my baseball career were to end I and I could not play anymore, would I still be happy at the school and a lot of schools, I felt like I would not be. But with Endicott, I loved the school and have heard nothing but great things about it.

What are the ways you think you can still improve?

I still have plenty to learn and improve on, but one thing that stands out for me is just learning more pitch sequencing and tunneling pitches, which will just come with playing more baseball and being around great coaches.

What do you hope to study after high school and why?

I am planning to major in exercise science. It was actually something I took an interest in after suffering some minor shoulder pain last baseball season and having to work through physical therapy.