Baseball has always been about numbers and records. Statistics and other crazy numbers that define playing careers. Records have always been meant to be broken and multiple career records fell this spring in Jackson County.

Bret Perry and Lucas Hilton have both climbed to the top of the leaderboard in hits: Perry for the Seymour Owls and Hilton for the Crothersville Tigers.

The Owls shortstop kept the record in the family, snagging it from his older brother Alan Perry. Bret Perry broke the record on April 6 against New Albany in the second game of the doubleheader with the Bulldogs.

The hit was an RBI double to left centerfield, and it was the 113th of his career at the time. He spoke about the honor of holding this record.

“It’s truly an honor to be the all-time hits leader for Seymour High School,” Perry said. “It feels especially good after my brother, Alan, had previously held the record. A lot of talented players have been a part of the Seymour baseball program, so to have my name at the top is special.”

The Seymour grad finished his career with 136 total hits. Perry also said that he wouldn’t have wanted to play anywhere else.

“I take a lot of pride in the work I put in to become the best hitter and player I can be,” he said. “I want to give a special shoutout to my parents, coaches and teammates because I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without them.”

Perry also broke the school records for a career in the following categories: Batting average, (.412) Runs, (117) Stolen Bases (57) and Walks (64).

Hilton set the new Crothersville record on May 11 against Rock Creek, hitting a two-run single for his 68th career hit in the seventh inning, breaking the previous record held by Mike Couch.

He ended up with 71 career hits. The senior originally thought he wouldn’t have the chance to break any career records.

“I’m grateful for my opportunity to play baseball at Crothersville and to be successful enough to accomplish it,” Hilton said. “After my COVID freshman year and a rainy senior year, I didn’t think I was going to get in enough games to get any career records.”

Hilton also broke the all-time stolen bases record (110), single-season hits (30) and single-season stolen bases (42) in 2022-23.

Lucas is attending Clark State College in Ohio as both players are playing baseball in college. The Crothersville graduate spoke on his hitting approach.

“The biggest thing I did was wait on my pitch,” Hilton said. “I’m not necessarily a power hitter but I can find the gaps and get on base.”

This season, Perry slashed .411, racking up 30 hits, 24 runs, six doubles, four triples, two home runs, 25 RBI’s and 10 stolen bases. The University of Indianapolis commit finished with a staggering on-base percentage of .517 and a OPS (On-Base + Slugging Percentage) of 1.202.

He, who also was selected to the All-HHC and All-District teams for his performance this season, spoke about his approach at the plate.

“Some of my biggest keys to success at the plate would be clearing my head in the box to eliminate overthinking,” Perry said. “I have the mentality to compete and win every single pitch in every at bat. I would also say trusting my preparation to be able to execute at the highest level.”

The Owls finished with a record of 15-8 this season. Perry spoke about his favorite memory of high school baseball.

“My favorite memory of high school baseball is beating Floyd Central in the HHC Championship game my junior year,” Perry said.

Crothersville went 1-17, including their lone win over 13-3 win over Cannelton on April 13 Hilton pitched the first 3.1 innings, striking out eight batters.

Hilton finished the season hitting .321 with 17 hits, two triples, an on-base percentage of .390 and an OPS of .805. He also stole 29 bases this season.

“Playing with my friends is my favorite memory,” Hilton said. “We had a lot of fun. In my freshman year, our numbers were down so I went around and had to ask everyone to play. Some ended up playing all four years. It was fun to talk and learn the game of baseball with them because most had never played.”

Good luck to Perry and Hilton as they both move on to college this fall and will play baseball next spring at their schools.

Record Book

Bret Perry

Career Stats: .412 average, 136 hits, 117 runs, 57 stolen bases, 64 walks, 77 RBI’s, 20 doubles, 9 triples, 4 home runs.

School Records: Career Hits (136), Career Batting Average (.412), Career Runs (117), Career Stolen Bases (57), Career Walks (64).

Lucas Hilton

Career Stats: .382 average, 71 hits, 110 stolen bases, 55 runs, 25 RBI’s, 25 BB’s, 8 doubles, 3 triples.

School Records: Career Hits (71), Career Stolen Bases (110), Single-Season Hits (30), Single-Season Stolen Bases (42).