With a quiet-natured mentality, Colonels baseball coaches and teammates would usually call fifth-year senior pitcher and Houma native Mike Prejean one of the most soft-spoken athletes anyone could ever meet.According to assistant head coach and pitching coach Gerald Cassard, Prejean’s soft-spoken nature earned him the nickname “Peaches” from his teammates.

“We called him ‘Peaches’. That is his nickname that kind of stuck ever since he came here,” Cassard said. “He was always one of those soft-spoken guys that didn’t have a lot to say, and when he did, it was pretty soft-toned like a peach. So they called him Peaches, and it stuck.”

Prejean said he loves the quiet leader role because it fits his nature and helps him lead the team in his own way.

“I am not really that vocal, but I try to help the team by leading from example instead of words,” Prejean said.

But when it comes time to play baseball, none of his teammates joke about Prejean’s quiet-natured mentality or toughness. As the Colonels’ No. 1 pitcher, Prejean currently leads the team with 25 strikeouts. He has a 6.39 ERA and has allowed only one home run this season.

“He is a great guy, and he works hard,” junior pitcher Robbie Hebert said. “He gives it all he’s got, and it is really fun to play with him.”

B.D. Parker, head baseball coach, said Prejean usually plays against the opposing team’s No. 1 pitcher.

“Mike has been our Friday night guy so far this season, which means he is hooking up against our opponent No. 1 as well,” Parker said. “He has gone out and given us a great effort this season.”

Although he has a 1-3 record on the mound this season, Prejean said he is enjoying this season and cherishing each moment he has left before he graduates.

“I am enjoying it pretty good,” Prejean said. “I am cherishing each moment I have left. I am just trying to come out here everyday and have fun.”

Prejean said composure and confidence are the two main traits a successful pitcher must have.

“Composure is important because if one thing goes wrong on the pitching mound, you will be able to settle down and get the next batter out,” Prejean said. “Another is confidence because you need confidence in all your pitches and not be afraid to throw any of your pitches on any count regardless of the situation.”

Parker said Prejean usually handles himself well in pressure-filled situations at the mound.

“Mike is very level-headed,” Parker said. “He always composes himself, and with Mike, we never know what we are going to get out of him. We are just going to get a great effort.”

Although he is a senior with experience, Prejean said playing with consistency is still a part of the game he wants to work on.

“One of my weaknesses is consistency,” Prejean said. “I want to be more consistent. I want to come to the park and be good all-around, instead of being good one day and not good the next.”

Prejean is not only a tough pitcher on the mound, but tough in the classroom as well. He is scheduled to graduate this semester with a degree in biology and plans to attend Tulane Medical School in the fall.

“It is very special,” Prejean said. “It will help me make the adjustment from playing baseball everyday because I will be very busy next year. I do have something to look forward to next year, and I will move on with the rest of my life and hopefully will be successful one day.”

With his baseball career ending slowly and a new phase of his life approaching quickly, Prejean said he relates to Kevin Costner’s character Billy Chapel in the 1999 movie “For the Love of the Game.”

“It was about a guy who is forced to give up the game just like I will at the end of this year,” Prejean said. “It is going to be hard to adjust at the end of the year because playing baseball is something that has taken up a lot of my time and something I have worked hard for.”

In his five years as a pitcher, Prejean said his greatest memory of playing baseball is playing with great teammates.

“There is really not one great moment,” Prejean said. “It’s just the fact every year we have a great group of guys. That is probably the thing I love the most is that every day I get to come out and hang out with the team.”

Prejean said playing baseball has enabled him to become a better person on and off of the field.

“Baseball is like a rollercoaster,” Prejean said. “Some days are good and some are bad. That’s the way it is in life. It’s easy to compare baseball and life because the two are not something you can just go out and be a part of. You have to work hard in both to be successful.