Perry signs to Cedarville University

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For The Tribune

Since he was 5, Alan Perry’s favorite sport has been baseball.

Through the years, as he matured, his hopes of playing baseball in college grew along with him.

That goal turned from a dream to a reality Wednesday when he signed a letter of intent to play at Cedarville University near Dayton, Ohio.

Perry has been a four-year varsity starter in football, basketball and baseball at Seymour High School.

“I don’t know if it was a tough decision (choosing which sport),” Perry said. “The only thing that kind of made it a little bit tough was that I was pretty successful as a quarterback, and I thought maybe that could be an option.

“As baseball recruiting started to get tight, I didn’t know if I could go this direction or another, but I think I’ve been pretty set that I wanted to play baseball in college since I was about 4 or 5 years old.”

Perry and Owls coach Jeremy Richey both said they think the Seymour senior can be successful as a student and an athlete at Cedarville.

Richey said Cedarville should be a good fit for him in a lot of ways.

“It’s not just athletically. It’s also for his personality and for his faith,” Richey said. “I think it’s going to be a great spot for him.”

Perry agreed with Richey.

“It came down to a point, to crunch time with coach Richey and me when we were trying to find a place that fit me well,” Perry said. “A lot of guys in my senior class either were committed or had a good idea of where they were going to school.

“Coach Richey reached out to the Cedarville coach, coach (Mike) Manes, and he got back with him that night, and I was on the phone with coach Manes that night. The timing was perfect, right at the end of the first signing period (in December), so it was like almost too late, but he got me just before I might have looked into something like football.”

The enrollment at Cedarville is 3,400. It is an NCAA Division II school and a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.

“The campus is beautiful,” Perry said. “I played there before with my travel team last summer. They had four or five guys just for a summer travel league game that were working on the field and making it top-notch.

“It paid off. The field was awesome, and I enjoyed it there. That had a big play in my decision.”

The Yellow Jackets are members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, made up of 12 colleges in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee.

“I think he’s got a great shot of competing and playing the middle infield right away,” Richey said. “I think if he continues on the mound like he has, that has got to be an option for him, as well. I think he has improved tremendously with his command and all of his pitches on the mound. I think he does have enough velocity that he is going to possibly give them innings on the mound.

“That’s a tough situation with being a middle infielder and pitching, but he’s a special kid. That’s a possibility for him.”

Perry has played a major role for the Owls over the past four years.

“He is going to be in the top five in a lot of offensive categories, defensive categories and on the mound, as well,” Richey said. “He’s never lost a game on the mound. He’s 11-0 or 12-0 in his career. That shows you how dedicated he is to each part of it.

“He’s not just a good hitter. He’s played three positions for us this year (pitcher, first base, third base). That’s the thing about him. He’s able to play a lot of places, and we’re comfortable putting him in any of those places. He’s made very few errors over the last three years in some pretty tough situations, playing shortstop for us as a freshman.”

Perry said he will do whatever is asked of him once he joins the team.

“(Manes) said my first couple years maybe not as much pitching, but I haven’t spoken to him about that in a while. He knows I pitch here, but he doesn’t know to what degree. Right now, I’m going to play middle infield and to hit,” Perry said.

“If he likes me on the mound and wants to try me out there, I’m going to do whatever he asks me to do that I can help us win. At Division II, the pitching you’re going to see is going to be pretty good, so any time I get a chance to work on my ability to hit for power, for average, doing those little things, I think that will help me significantly because the jump from high school to Division II level is going to be pretty big.”

A large group of teammates and friends attended Perry’s signing.

“That just shows you what it has been like (growing up in Seymour),” Perry said. “We’re such a close-knit group. I’ve known some of these guys since I was 5 or 6. We’ve been playing baseball forever. I wouldn’t trade my experience here for anything. I’ve loved every second of it and all the coaches that have had a part in it, my parents, my teammates and my siblings. It’s been awesome, and I’ve loved it.”

Richey said Perry has been an excellent leader.

“I try to set an example every day because practice is where it starts,” Perry said. “All that time and effort you put in in practice is something that pays off in a game, and I also try to be a vocal leader, getting guys in the right spot.

“Growing up playing middle infield, I’ve always kind of had to direct people and get them in the right spot. I do both, vocal and leading by example, and I think that has benefited me and my teammates in the four years I’ve been here.”

There will be eight incoming freshmen on the baseball team at Cedarville next year. There are currently six players from Indiana on the Cedarville roster.

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