Seymour senior Bret Perry, front second from left, signed to play baseball at the University of Indianapolis Wednesday night. Joining him were his parents, in front, father Tim, mother Aimee and brother Alan; and in back, assistant athletic director Dave Urbanski, baseball coach Jeremy Richey and athletic director and head basketball coach Kirk Manns.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
Seymour's Bret Perry rounds third base to score a run last season against Corydon Central.
Tribune File Photo
Bret Perry has had a busy and successful athletic career at Seymour High School.
He has been a three-sport Owl during his time there. He helped the Owls tie for the Hoosier Hills Conference title his junior year in football, and this fall, he broke several school passing records.
He has been a solid contributor in basketball, and he also helped the Owls win the HHC tournament in baseball last season and ranks near the top or at the top in several offensive categories at the school.
He said while he enjoys all sports, his favorite is baseball.
“It wasn’t a hard decision because baseball has been my favorite sport ever since I was growing up,” Perry said. “I believe I have the ability to play at the next level in baseball, so I think it was a no-brainer.”
On Wednesday night, he signed to play baseball at the University of Indianapolis.
He has pitched and played infield at Seymour but is going to Indianapolis as an infielder only. He said shortstop is his favorite position.
“I enjoy throwing it across the diamond. I like making backhand plays, showing off my range, on slow rollers making off-balance throws to get guys out. I like being the captain of the infield, too. That comes with being a shortstop. I just like having that role,” he said.
“I’ve got pretty good instincts to be able to gain ground and be able to react. UofI told me the plan on having me play second base my freshman year because they’ll have a senior shortstop. Once he graduates, they want me to move over to short.”
Perry said he enjoys pitching and the challenge of trying to get batters out.
“I like it’s you versus the guy in the box. You’re trying to win every pitch and make an out every time. Getting ahead is key. I like to throw a lot of strikes, too, so that helps me a lot,” he said.
Seymour baseball coach Jeremy Richey said, “I think Bret is going to come in right away and get to play. That is everything the coaching staff has told us. He is looking at some different options. Maybe early in his career, he can look at second base, and then possibly as he continues to grow and get stronger move over to shortstop.”
University of Indianapolis played in the NCAA Division II World Series in 2023.
Richey said, “I guarantee if Bret’s not playing, he is going to make the guy that is playing better because he is going to push people every day with his work ethic. He’s the total package of having the physical ability to play, and the game has never been too fast for Bret, whether that is coming off a Division I kid throwing 90-plus or against a team on a Tuesday night in a game that doesn’t mean as much.
“He’s the same thing every time, and he’s just so cerebral about how he plays, and I think that’s going to pay off a lot because at that level, the failure is going to improve because the game is going to be different. The players are different, so failure, especially early on, is going to happen a little more frequently, but he’ll be able to handle that as well as anybody they’ve got up there and still give himself a shot to play.”
Bret began playing baseball at age 5.
“It’s been a long ride, and it’s going to pay off,” Perry said.
“It’s always been the same thing with Bret,” Richey said. “He shows up every game and he plays as hard as he can play. I think Bret understands some of his limitations. He’s not throwing an 88 MPH fastball up there, but you watch the games that he has pitched, and he has pitched very well because he understands how to use his skill set to be successful. He doesn’t rely on a lot of physical ability to get it done. He has the ability to do things a lot of different ways, and that shows up in a lot of places on the field for him.”
Richey thinks he can fill a role for the Greyhounds, whether it is a pinch runner or playing second base. Perry has been playing shortstop for the Owls since his freshman year, and Richey said he has improved throughout his career.
“His arm strength has to continue to get better,” Richey said. “I would say that is probably the area he is going to get the biggest growth.”
By playing three sports at Seymour, he hasn’t been able to work on baseball full time like he will be at Indianapolis.
“For the first time, he will be able to follow a true strength-enhancing throwing program that is going to make his velocity go up,” Richey said.
Richey said he is the best hitter on the Owls’ roster, and he would like to move him to the No. 3 spot after batting leadoff last spring.
Perry said he enjoys hitting line drives into the gap.
“I’m not much of a power guy, but I’d like to improve that some day. I like to make contact and keep it out of the air. I try to be patient and get the pitch I want to hit. I like outside pitches. I feel I can get my arms extended and get the bat head to the ball. I like taking it the other way,” he said.
“He is going to leave here as one of the best baseball players Seymour has ever had,” Richey said.
Perry said he has enjoyed his Seymour teammates.
“I just like all the guys. We’re so close, and we love being around each other,” he said. “That translates onto the field and we trust each other. Each and every guy is talented, and they can make plays at any point in the game.”