ARLINGTON — Arlington senior Peter Chung epitomizes the student athlete, but more so the student.

He’s close to finishing eight AP classes, and plans to attend the University of Washington when he graduates.

Chung prides himself on his ingenuity. He wants to become a patent lawyer after he finishes his studies in electrical engineering, but also wants to be an “inventor.”

“It’s random. Sometimes I look around at things and think of ways to make them better,” Chung said. “Whenever my family is driving on the road, I get bored and look at cars and think of ways to improve transportation.”

Though stellar in the classroom, he’s also a ballplayer, earning a starting position three years straight on Arlington’s varsity baseball team.

Whether it’s in the classroom or on the diamond, Chung is a hard worker, putting in time during the offseason to improve his game. “He has that work ethic,” coach Scott Striegel said. “He just wants to please his coaches and teammates.”

What he’s learned from baseball is teamwork.

“With school it’s mostly with yourself, but with baseball you can’t win a game by yourself,” Chung said. “It’s not hard to stay motivated for baseball. My whole team is counting on me. They push me.”

Chung burs on the scene as a sophomore.

“He came on and just started working hard,” Striegel said. “He did a good job in his first couple of weeks in practice, in the jamboree he had a couple of hits, and he just got the starting position.”

In his debut varsity season, Chung was second in runs collecting 10, and was second again his junior year with 13. He improved his batting average from .228 to .289.

“It’s the way I am,” Chung said. “Whatever I do, I go hard.”

What he may lack in batting power he makes up for in athleticism, Striegel said.

“He’s a line-drive hitter,” Striegel said. “He can hit the ball in the gap, and he can run so well that he can turn stuff into extra bases that nobody else can.”

He was once the “quiet kid” on the team but  has come out of his shell, becoming one of the leaders, Striegel said.

“He’s learned how to talk to the other guys, and help out the different positions on the team,” Striegel said.

Chung is uncertain if he will continue baseball in college, but will pursue academics without question.

“He definitely has the opportunity” [to continue baseball], Striegel said. “But if he just wants to go to school, I totally respect that.”

“I got looks from college baseball, but I’m focused on academics,” Chung said.