From the Israeli military to the SWCC mound

In Israel, high school isn’t typically followed by college. It’s often followed by a two- or three-year mandatory service to the Israeli military.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Ido Peled began his 10 days of end-of-service vacation after 32 months of service. The same day, Israel was attacked by a land, sea and air assault launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

The attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its independence. More than 240 people were taken hostage during the attack.

“I wasn’t sure if they’d want me to go back to the base,” Peled said. “It was pretty challenging. You can definitely see how much it took off in two months.”

With his service time complete, Peled was able to leave the country just 20 days after the war began. “The original plan was to leave the day after I finished,” he said. “The war kind of changed the plans; I stayed a little more.”

Peled had been working on a plan to come to the United States for college and to continue his baseball career. He spent more than a year in North Carolina rehabbing an injury, and now he’s a freshman at Southwestern Community College in Creston where he’s a pitcher for the Spartans.

IDF Athlete

At 14, Peled began playing for the Israel National Baseball Team. From a young age, he’d always been a pitcher.

He grew up knowing at 18 he would need to prove his talent if he wanted to stay able to play baseball. The best athletes each year are designated as “Elite Athletes” and can continue their sport while serving in the Israel Defense Forces.

In baseball, Peled said only one athlete from the National Team drafted class would be able to earn an Elite Athlete designation each year.

Being an IDF athlete means being at the top of your game, Peled said. “The army puts some challenges ahead of you. I was in a unit where they did respect I played baseball, and I still had to do day-to-day jobs of a soldier, like guard duties.”

The experience helped him gain maturity as he had to stay on top of his schedule. “It means planning your day a couple days ahead — what is your day going to look like?” Peled explained. “In the army, you need to coach a local team. On top of my service and own career trying to play, you have to put in some hours to coach. I coached a local and a national youth team.”

In 2021, while an IDF athlete, Peled was a member of the Israel National Team that that took Silver in the 2021 European Championship. In the same year, Peled and 10 of his friends were selected for the extended Olympic roster.

“We were invited to training camp in New Jersey,” he said. “I was blessed with the opportunity to meet the entire team and practice. They were doing a scrimmage against a lot of other teams. We practiced at the New York Boulders stadium. I was there for three games watching it.”

When the Olympics came around, Peled said he watched the team as much as he was able while fulfilling his other duties. As an Olympics postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no fans in the Tokyo stadium. Japan took the gold in the event with the U.S. earning silver and Israel coming in fifth.

Choosing SWCC

Before becoming SWCC’s baseball coach, Chris Piperno had been the assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, since 2015.

While there, Piperno coached Tal Erel, an Israeli baseball player who was on the 2021 Olympic roster.

“He used to be my coach when I was younger,” Peled said of Erel. “He was an Olympic team member and a national coach. He played a big role in my baseball career.”

When Piperno reached out to the Israel team to explain the recruiting process, Peled was interested. Peled followed up with Erel about the opportunity.

During a Zoom call, Piperno told Peled he was moving to a new college — Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa, but said there would be a spot on the team for him.

“In January 2024, I made my commitment official,” Peled said. “Understanding what kind of coach he is, what his vision is, I knew I wanted to play for him.”

After leaving Israel but before coming to Creston, Peled rehabbed an arm injury in North Carolina. He began his career at SWCC in the fall 2024 semester.

With most of the team being 18 or 19 years old, Piperno said having Peled’s life experience brings perspective for his younger teammates.

“If you’re playing in college, you were usually the best high school player, so failure is few and far between. It’s easy to get frustrated,” Piperno said. “But a swing and missing at a slider is not that bad when you consider having a bullet going by your head.”

Peled said it affects his mentality. “We always grew up knowing we’d be older than other people in college. For me it was mostly the mental side,” he said. “I came here for a reason. I didn’t go to college just to play baseball and enjoy life. I’m here to get better and move on.”

Though Peled said his experiences have helped him process difficulties and challenges, he recognizes he hasn’t experienced what his teammates have in their lives.

“I try to help my teammates as much as I can, but not everyone is in the same place,” he said. “They didn’t go through things I went through, and I haven’t gone through what they have.”

Piperno said Peled will be an integral part of the SWCC bullpen. “He’s not going to overpower people, he’s going to outstrategize people, which is right in his nature,” Piperno said. “He brings the work ethic. He knows there’s a reason to everything you do and buys into knowing that if I train today, it’s going to prepare me for going forward.”

Peled said he is very grateful for his teammates and the SWCC coaching staff, but laments the Iowa weather.

“I love it, but it’s so cold in Creston,” he said. “I’m coming from a place where it’s 130, 140 degrees in the summer.”

The people have been a highlight for him. “It’s new to be away from my family. I’m still getting used to it,” he said. “I love this place; I love Creston. I love the people, the culture, everyone is so polite, so helpful.”

He still keeps up to date with what’s happening back home. A close childhood friend serves as an officer in the Israel military and has been in Gaza a lot.

“He did a lot in this war,” Peled said. “I was really worried every time I talked to his family. I know he lost a couple of his friends. It was important to me to make sure everything is fine.”