Perry Berry saw 4 seasons, high-A, went into education
Picked by the Astros in the fourth round of the draft, University of Southwestern Louisiana product Perry Berry found the contract negotiations tougher than he'd thought, The Lafayette Daily Advertiser wrote.
"I thought I had some bargaining power because I could always go back to USL and work on my degree," Berry told The Daily Advertiser, "but apparently they didn't see it that way."
Berry eventually did sign. His career, though, likely wasn't as he'd hoped. He played four seasons and made high-A.
But Berry did go back to school - and he's continued going back. Berry became a teacher, coach, and district superintendent.
Berry's pro career began in 1990, taken by the Astros in the fourth round out of Southwestern Louisiana.
In college, Berry earned Collegiate Baseball's national Player of the Week honors in February 1990 after he hit six home runs early in the season, with a .421 average, The Daily Advertiser wrote.
"Berry's hitting has really been a pleasing sight," Southwestern Louisiana coach Mike Boulanger told The Daily Advertiser then.
With the Astros, Berry started at single-A Asheville. He saw 61 games and hit .223. He then played 1991 at high-A Osceola. In 94 games there, he hit .215.
Berry played 1992 at single-A Burlington and then 1993 back at Osceola. He hit .259 in 84 games at Osceola to end his career.
Berry then went into education. In 2015, he became superintendent of the Queen Creek Unified School District in Arizona. He continues in that role in 2025.
"Some of the most influential people in my life were coaches and teachers," Berry told The Queen Creek Independent in 2024. "Therefore, I pursued a teaching/coaching career out of college and professional baseball."
- Lafayette Daily Advertiser, Feb. 15, 1990: Honoree Berry, USL await TU
- Lafayette Daily Advertiser, June 6, 1990: Phone calls, decisions mark draft procedure for Cajuns
- Queen Creek Independent, June 5, 2024: Queen Creek Unified chief went from MLB to education
Made the Majors:1,435-31.6%
Never Made Majors:3,111-68.4%-X