Independence star pitcher Perryman commits to Roadrunners
Most pitchers can only dream of ending their seasons on as high a note as Nick Perryman did in 2020.
Then a junior at Independence High School, Perryman made life very easy for his defense in a March 6 matchup with Arvin, registering all 18 of the outs he recorded in six innings of work via strikeout. One hit and two walks would be the only blemishes on an otherwise perfect day for Perryman, who led the Falcons to an 11-0 win.
“That was a game I’d never seen before,” Independence coach Chad Shelton said. “He just kind of got in a groove. He just pounded the zone. It was incredible.”
The good vibes wouldn’t last long, unfortunately.
Just six days after Perryman’s dominant outing, the CIF postponed the spring season in light of the spreading coronavirus. The season was officially canceled on April 3.
Not only was Perryman — who allowed just one earned run in 21 1/3 innings last season — unable to build on his shutdown showing against Arvin, he believes his team was robbed of a chance to make a serious postseason run.
“We had a real shot at making a really good run at Valley,” he said. “We had a lot of young talent, everyone was focused and prepared. And then when you find that news out, its kind of heartbreaking to know we had an actual shot at making a really deep run in the playoffs. And for it all to just be taken way like that, it’s hard, man.”
Disappointed by the season’s premature end, Perryman spent the ensuing months implementing various strength and conditioning drills with hopes of improving his velocity and control.
Though the sample size is small, he says his offseason work has already paid dividends on the field.
Twice this summer, Perryman traveled to Arizona to compete with Trosky Baseball.
While there, he showed off his improved fastball, striking out over 20 batters in 11 innings of work.
He also got the opportunity to compete with and against high-level college prospects from program’s such as UCLA and UC Irvine.
“It’s cool to be able to play alongside those guys,” said Perryman, whose older brother Mason pitched for USC from 2015-18.
Soon, Perryman will be playing alongside such players on a daily basis.
Having already caught the attention of Cal State Bakersfield head coach Jeremy Beard over the years, he received an offer from his hometown squad during the offseason, one an excited Perryman needed just one day to accept.
“I’ve been born and raised here in Bakersfield and I thought it would be really cool to stay back and just help the community out,” he said. “I just kind of felt a strong desire to give back to Bakersfield. There’s a lot of people here who mean a lot to me and I kind of felt like if I were to go somewhere else I’d probably have to start that all over again.”
Perryman’s decision to stay local was fully endorsed by his current head coach, who always expected Division I programs would come calling.
“He’s different,’ Shelton said. “He’s just one of the hardest-working kids we’ve ever had. “He’d spend his lunch time in the weight room because he knew he needed to get stronger and it paid off. I knew it would happen for him. I think CSUB will be a great spot for him. ( The Roadrunners) definitely got a good one.”
Perryman already has a good amount of chemistry built up with one of his future teammates. Logun Clark, who is currently a junior at Taft High School, previously caught for him on the Taft Longhorn travel team.
But before he gets to CSUB, there’s unfinished business to tend to. Having closed out his season on the highest personal note possible in 2020, Perryman hopes he can duplicate that success on a bigger stage in 2021.
“I want to bring a ring to Independence,” he said. “I think we’ve got a legitimate chance at winning this thing.”