KIski Area grad Billy Perroz takes advantage of opportunity at Saint Vincent

A “severely sprained wrist” turned into the biggest break of Billy Perroz’s baseball career.

The Kiski Area graduate was a student-athlete last semester at IUP when the injury happened. He missed the fall season, and Perroz said the decision was made to cut him from the Crimson Hawks’ roster.

Perroz didn’t want his playing career to end, so he entered the NCAA transfer portal and was contacted by Saint Vincent coach Mick Janosko shortly afterward. After a campus visit, Perroz knew his next landing spot.

“I think Saint Vincent is a great opportunity,” Perroz said. “I love the school. I love the team and the coaches. That injury was a blessing in disguise. At the time, it was not what I wanted, but I couldn’t be happier with where I am.”

The feeling is mutual.

Perroz’s tenure at Saint Vincent is off to a better-than-imagined start, despite the Bearcats not playing a game since dropping a doubleheader to top-ranked Marietta on March 17.

The first baseman/pitcher has started all 10 games for Saint Vincent (4-6), which is on a four-game losing streak, and leads the team in triples (two), ranks third on the team in batting average (.355, 11 for 31) and second in RBIs (eight) and total bases (18).

“He’s come in very focused. He definitely wanted to take advantage of the opportunity,” Janosko said. “He’s a well all-around nice talent. He’s done a nice job at the plate, and for the most part, I’ve really liked his approach.”

Janosko admitted he’s pleasantly surprised by the immediate success. Even Perroz didn’t envision being successful this early.

“Coming into here, I hadn’t seen live pitching in almost four months,” Perroz said.

His more immediate goals were getting assimilated on campus and getting to know his teammates.

Perroz is commuting from IUP because the lease at his apartment doesn’t end until after the spring semester, but he’s not minding the 40-minute drive to the Unity campus or the gas prices.

“Coming into here, the team welcomed me and I felt welcomed right away,” Perroz said. “It’s funny because I felt closer to them than I did my whole freshman year (at IUP).”

Perroz, who also played golf, bowling at basketball at Kiski Area, considers himself a sophomore — though he said he would take advantage of an extra year of eligibility granted to NCAA athletes because of the covid pandemic — and he’s fit in well with Saint Vincent’s offensive game.

The Bearcats tend to score in bunches, using timely hitting and its version of small ball to accumulate runs. Saint Vincent scored 57 runs, including a 22-5 walloping of Fitchburg State at the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla., through six games without hitting a home run.

It’s an anomaly that didn’t last long. The Bearcats are up to three homers on the season, and they plan on hitting more once the conference season finally begins.

“Billy came in hungry to show he could still play, and you can tell he still has love for the game,” Janosko said. “It’s early, but if we stay short and quick through the baseball, those extra base hits, home runs and RBIs will fall in line. Our goal as a team is to just hit the ball hard.”

Another is to contend in the Division III Presidents’ Athletic Conference, which features perennial powerhouse Washington & Jefferson.

“I want to see if we can come close to winning the PAC,” Perroz said. “Hopefully, we can contend. I think we can. Personally, I hope to hit well and field well and hope that helps us win games.”