While some may be surprised by the play of the Waltham baseball team, do not put head coach Mike Peterson in that category.

Courtesy of a pitching staff with a combined earned run average below 1.00 per game, and a trio of hitters batting over .350, Waltham boasts an 8-2 overall record and has the makings of a sleeper in the Div. 1 state tournament.

The leaders of the rotation — Drew Anderson, Mike Cobb, and Ben Hamilton — have combined for six shutouts over nine games.

“Our three starters have pitched extremely well,” Peterson said. “Drew, Mike, and Ben have stepped up at a high level. If we field and pitch well, we’ve been really hard to beat,”

While Anderson and Cobb have spotless ERAs, Hamilton is not far behind. Hamilton has allowed just one earned run in 17.2 innings while scattering 10 hits. Offensively, meanwhile, the Hawks are paced by Ian LaForest, who is slashing .424/.457/.515. Around him are Ty Connolly and Will Curley. The tandem is each hitting .360 and boast on-base percentages over .500, creating a strong top of the order for Peterson’s group.

“Coming in with 10 seniors that have been playing since they were sophomores, we knew that if we pitched well and played good defense we could compete,” Peterson said. “Our two losses we shot ourselves in the foot with either errors or not finishing innings. When we’ve avoided that we have been successful.”

Those two losses — to Wellesley and Acton-Boxboro — are just blemishes on what has otherwise been a strong first half of the season that includes a win over Dual County League foe Lincoln-Sudbury.

An entertaining battle with Westford Academy looms in two weeks.

On May 13, the baseball and softball teams from Concord-Carlisle and Bedford will face off against each other in Military Appreciation Games. Both the baseball and softball games will be hosted at Bedford High School, with first pitch for softball taking place at 11 a.m. while the baseball game begins at 2 p.m.

The weekend will begin on May 12 when Concord-Carlisle will host the Bedford baseball and softball programs along with local active-duty military and veterans for breakfast.

This is the third time the two sides have engaged in this honor on the baseball diamond while softball will be joining in for the first time.