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ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School baseball team played its final games on the Al Ness Field for the 2026 season, and a four-year member of the Eskymos had his moment in the spotlight one last time. Senior pitcher Lenny Peacock set the Escanaba High School All-time school record for strikeouts in a career as the Eskymos beat the Norway Knights, 10-0, on an unusually-pleasant, sunny afternoon.
Peacock broke the record of 247 career strikeouts set by Brad Gauthier from 2004-2006 with a strikeout in the second inning, and he registered five more as the game went on to push his career total to 253.
Gauthier's total came on the best-ever Eskymo team, which made it to the state championship game in 2006 before losing to Battle Creek Lakeview at Battle Creek's CW Brown Stadium. Peacock's accomplishment may be even more impressive, given pitch count rules that did not exist back then.
Peacock, as always, was humble after getting the record.
“It felt pretty good getting that record-breaker on the mound,” Peacock said. “My teammates were really happy for me. Shout out to Norway. They were very classy about it, too, giving me a little standing ovation, so that was really nice for everyone to come together and congratulate me. It felt really good.”
Peacock's talent was evident from his Little League and travel ball days, but he acknowledged there was more to it than just God-given ability.
“I think a lot of it is behind the scenes,” Peacock said. “People don't really see a lot of what I do. I've kind of made this game a lot of my life. I take it really serious. I'm not a very content person. I work hard and I take things serious day-in, day-out, because if you want to be the best, you've got to train to be the best. That's kind of been my mentality toward everything that I want to be good at.”
And that work earned Peacock a spot on the NCAA-Division One Western Michigan University baseball landscape.
The man who has been Peacock's catcher for four years, Mikaiden Hughes, was happy to see the milestone reached on Saturday.
“Lenny has been a great teammate over the years,” Hughes said. “Probably one of the best teammates I've ever played with all-around, not just skill-wise. If you're in a bad slump, Lenny knows how to get you out of your head and help you re-focus. Over the years, Lenny has put in countless hours in the weight room. I just think that having a guy like Lenny on your team, realizing how hard he works, it makes everyone else want to work just as hard.”
Fellow senior Owen Fields also praised Peacock.
“I've been playing with Lennox since we were seven years old,” Fields said. “He has always been a good teammate and a great player. It's been a peasure playing with him. He's always pushing us to be better, and we couldn't be this good without him.”
Fellow senior pitcher Ashton Rymkos has also been with Peacock the whole step of the way.
“Him getting that record is a huge boost for him and for the team confidence-wise, keeping our team moving when it comes to playoff time,” Rymkos said. “Being a teammate of Lenny is one of the best things as a player you could ask for. He's always there to help you in any way, to play catch, throw you BP (batting practice), and help you with your mechanics. He's willing to help you in any way.”
Rymkos will also play baseball at the next level, at Bay College.
Eskymo senior infielder Graham Johnson is playing his first high school season with Peacock, but has been with him in the past at lower baseball levels.
“I'm super excited for Lennox to get the strikeout record,” Johnson said. “Lenny has put in a lot of hard work in the gym and on the field to get to this point. It's been great to see him develop from when we were kids just learning how to play baseball together. He's going to do great things coming up at Western Michigan. He's got the competitiveness for the next level.”
Johnson is also moving on to the next level, in his best sport: hockey. Johnson has signed with a United States Hockey League team based in Alaska to play there this fall.
Eskymo Manager Scott Hanson says he's been “blessed” to have coached Peacock.
“I knew from the beginning that he was a D-1 kid,” said Hanson, who's son Jared pitches for Central Michigan University. “He has the ability, but the work ethic is what sets him apart. Nobody knows. I see it day to day just how hard he works, off-season, every day, training. And that's why he's going to be successful in college, because he already trains like that.”
“There aren't many high school kids who even know how to do that,” Hanson continued. “He's researched. He's figured it out. He's a competitor.”
Peacock's overall record as an Eskymo is 15-12. Not very inspiring, until you look a little closer.
“The reality is that Lenny has asked for every tough game we've played, every year, for four years,” Hanson said. “I mean, who does that as a freshman? He's been thrown in, and never hesitated. And he's just an unbelievable human being. Just a great kid. A great teammate.”
Peacock, who has signed at Western Michigan as a “PO” (pitcher only), has also led the Eskymos at the plate this spring. On Saturday, Peacock had a single, triple, drove in a run, and scored twice.
But there's no question Peacock IS, indeed, a pitcher. And on Saturday, he used just 64 pitches to throw the five innings of the mercy-shortened game. Of those pitches, 46 were strikes. He allowed only two base hits, walked just one batter, allowed no runs, and did not throw a wild pitch.
Hughes says it's not just the fastball that makes Peacock so deadly.
“The change-up is one of the grossest things I've caught,” Hughes said. “The slider has a lot of bite. The fastball gets on quick because of how long he is. With three good pitches, it's hard to beat Lenny.”
On Saturday, Escanaba took advantage of several Norway errors on missed pop flies during a six-run third inning that effectively put the game away. Before that, Ashton Rymkos smacked a two-run double in the first inning to give Escanaba a 2-0 lead, which was more than enough for Peacock.
Fields added two hits and two RBI for the Eskymos.
Tristan Lessor and Luke Lagina got the base hits for Norway, which fell to 15-6 on the season. Norway later beat Rudyard, 14-1. Escanaba wrapped up the day by beating Rudyard, 6-2. Rudyard fell to 12-11 on the season.
