Perroz’s baseball-heavy summer pays off with commitment to IUP

By: Greg Macafee
Sunday, August 25, 2019 | 12:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Kiski Area senior Billy Perroz has been playing so much baseball this summer that, at times, coach Aaron Albert has told him he has been playing too much.

“But he loves it,” Albert said. “I go with the flow really, but there are certainly weekends where he plays way too much baseball.”

Over this summer, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander played in four leagues throughout the area. He said he probably played three or four games a week and then would play in tournaments on the weekend.

While the workload was a lot for Perroz, he called it fun and hopes it will prepare his body to play in the major leagues one day.

“I want to make it to the highest level of baseball possible,” Perroz said. “So I feel like playing this much baseball now will develop me and help me build the stamina to do that one day.”

The outfielder/first baseman has done everything in his power to make that dream come true. Albert said he has seen Perroz improve tremendously since the beginning of the 2019 season, which was Albert’s first year with the Kiski Area baseball program.

Perroz hit .464, had 26 hits, 15 RBI’s and struck out only once in 19 games. He improved in almost every offensive category compared to his sophomore year, and that development continued this summer.

“He’s just been putting himself in different positions this summer, and that’s what we’ve talked about,” Albert said. “It doesn’t matter if the game is 10-0 or 19-0, you’re still getting at-bats. It’s still you versus the pitcher, and it’s an opportunity to learn and get better. He’s definitely taken advantage of that.”

All of that work paid off last week when Perroz received an offer from IUP.

Throughout his junior year he had been gaining interest from a few colleges in the area and also received an offer from Grove City. But after a conversation with the coaching staff, IUP offered him a scholarship Aug. 15. A week later, Perroz made his verbal commitment to become a Crimson Hawk.

I am proud to pronounce I will be continuing my academic and athletic career as an IUP Crimson Hawk‼️ I’m excited for this next chapter in my life, and I want to thank all my friends, family, and @CoachAA13 for everything they have done for me! @IUPBaseball @TribLiveHSSN

— Billy Perroz (@bperroz10) August 22, 2019

“IUP had everything I was looking for,” Perroz said. “I’m really excited about it, and it relieved a lot of stress for me. It was kinda the goal. It will allow me to flow through my senior year and concentrate on my school work and stuff.”

Not only is Perroz a standout on the baseball field, but he also plays as many sports as he can. This fall, he picked up golf after his pitching coach convinced him to play.

This winter, he hopes to follow up a stellar junior season with the bowling team and earn a trip to the state tournament. But he doesn’t just want to bowl. He wants to play basketball, too.

“It keeps me busy, and it comes pretty easily to me,” Perroz said. “I’ve been able to build a routine where I’d go to school, do my school work, go to practice or a game, then come home and finish whatever work I had left. That’s kinda been my routine for the last couple years.”

Multiple sports and school work keep him busy, but Perroz said baseball always will be his No. 1 sport.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .