Soft-spoken Perry explodes

By Aaron Juarez

For Robert Perry, it was certainly an honor to be named High School Sports Focus Player of the Year for excelling in both football and baseball for Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. The freshman center fielder was significantly bothered though by the on-camera interview he was required to give as a recipient of the award.

Considering that Perry not only had taken it to some of the best pitchers in the Bay Area during his four-year varsity career at Mitty, but also had been one of the top running backs in the Central Coast Section, itàappeared that he had finally met his match in the form of TV cameras.

"He was scared to death to be on TV," remembers Dave Brown, Perry's head coach on the Mitty football team. "We all had a good laugh during the first take, it was pretty hilarious. But he calmed down and the second take went very well."

Perry acknowledges that he was "really, really nervous" about doing the interview, but it also helped him to realize that it was simply another challenge to overcome.

"I like to keep to myself, I'm not a real outspoken person," Perry said. "I've never taken courses in public speaking or anything, but if I'm going to go further with sports, then (interviews and public speaking) are things I'm going to have to deal with."

If Perry's first season here at Santa Clara is any indication, then he can expect to deal with a healthy amount of commentary, public speaking and interviews in the coming years, especially after Saturday's performance. In the second of a three-game home series against Loyola Marymount, Perry went 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and the game-winning, two-run home run in the eighth inning that lifted the Broncos to a 7-5 triumph.

On the season, Perry has started all 39 games for the Broncos, hitting .288 while leading the team in walks (14), ranking second in home runs (5) and third in hits (47) and doubles (9). As Santa Clara's leadoff batter, Perry occupies a natural leadership spot in the order, bearing the responsibility of feeling out the opposing team's starter. This includes working the count and making the pitcher throw enough pitches so as to give the rest of the Bronco hitters a chance to scout the pitcher's repertoire.

Batting leadoff is nothing new for Perry, since he fulfilled the same duties while at Mitty. Adjusting to the college game proved not to be as daunting a task, thanks not only to the hard work Perry puts into his game every day, but also to the help given by the Santa Clara coaching staff.

"The transition wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Perry said. "Talking with the coaches helped a lot, and batting leadoff is batting leadoff, regardless of level. As a leadoff batter, I know that my job is to work the count, get on base and be a tough out all the time."

Perry's ability to get the job done and his understanding of his responsibility hardly wavers, and that fact is not lost on those around him. Bronco Manager Mark O'Brien is quick to point out Perry's quiet intensity and leadership on the baseball field.

"He's like the 'Silent Assassin,' I call him," cracked O'Brien, referring to Perry's soft-spoken demeanor. "Robert's not going to say a whole bunch to you, but he can kind of look you in the eye like, 'Alright man, now it's time to start working'."

"He leads by example, he's very focused on what he needs to do and is not someone you're going to catch staring off into space at practice."

"Robert was everything you could want in a team player," Brown said. "He didn't want a whole lot of recognition, he just wanted to be handed the ball and to run with it."

Bill Hutton, manager at Archbishop Mitty, had the opportunity to see Perry's growth not only as a player, but also as a leader during his four years playing for the Monarchs. Still, Hutton notes, it was Perry's actions that led the team.

"He never led by the spoken word, it was never his thing," Hutton said, about Perry's leadership style. "He led by example, by getting the job done. The other kids on the team would look to see how Robert would react to things. If he was comfortable in any given situation, so were they."

"Robert exhibits leadership qualities without consciously realizing it," continued Hutton.

Perry's intensity and work ethic have already brought him very far quickly. He was the first Archbishop Mitty freshman during Hutton's managerial tenure at Mitty to play and start on the varsity squad for all four years. Hutton has been the Monarchs' manager since 1983 and has seen many talented players pass through not only his program, but others in the West Catholic Athletic League, one of the most powerful and competitive divisions in the CCS.

"At schools in the WCAL, freshmen usually just don't play on the varsity," Hutton said.

To convey the magnitude of that accomplishment, Hutton explained that Perry achieved something that even former WCAL players and major leaguers such as Gregg Jefferies, Pat Burrell and Barry Bonds did not achieve.

Perry attributes his focus to advice that his father gave him.

"My dad told me, 'Whenever you're doing something, anybody could be watching you,'" Perry said. "I think I acquired that mind-set from my parents, to work hard at whatever I choose to do and be an example to those around me."

Family also helped factor into Perry's decision to go to school and play ball at Santa Clara, choosing the Broncos over national powerhouse schools such as Fullerton State and Long Beach State.

"My family is my biggest support," Perry said, adding that in addition to his parents and brother, his aunts, uncles and cousins also provide him with support at his games. "They watched me play all these years, it would be like torture to them if I went away to play."

Besides staying close to his family, Perry also was impressed by the atmosphere at Santa Clara and the direction of the baseball program under Head Coach O'Brien.

"When choosing a school, the main thing is atmosphere," Perry says. "I felt that Coach O'Brien had a lot to offer in building this program."

Hutton also acknowledges the comfortable atmosphere and relationship that O'Brien and the coaching staff built with Perry during the recruiting.

"Santa Clara was the first school to show interest in Robert," Hutton recalls. "They showed their interest early and took the time to build a good relationship with Robert and he really liked the coaching staff at Santa Clara. I told Robert that usually the team that shows the most interest early is the one that really wants you."

Thus far, as Perry willingly and wholeheartedly fulfills his role in center field and at the top of the order, it is his leadership ability and the example he sets which could contribute just as much to Santa Clara's rise to prominence in the next few years as his bat and glove. While Perry may prefer to keep a low profile, O'Brien realizes that he has a proven leader on his hands for the foreseeable future at Santa Clara.

"I think he wants to do it," O'Brien said, when asked if Perry would embrace a leadership role in the future. "The thing that I think will separate him is that he really wants to be that type of guy, so that's a big factor. Anytime you want to be that type of guy and have the ability and the personality to do it, then it's a given."

As for the baseball program, it is a given that Perry will be a presence at Santa Clara for the next three years. O'Brien jokes that he has one less thing to worry about, as he could simply write Perry into the leadoff spot on about 56 lineup cards for each of the next three seasons right now.

As for now, Perry continues to relentlessly plug away at his game, whether in the batting cage, on the outfield grass, or on the basepaths. After all, there is no telling who could be watching.

û Contact Aaron Juarez at (408) 554-4852 or ajuarez@scu.edu.