Hoosiers Now

Fueled By Failure, Perkins Leads Indiana Into Ann Arbor With Warrior Mindset

After overcoming Tommy John surgery and an up-and-down career at Louisville, Jack Perkins found a home at Indiana through his faith in God. He's now Indiana's Friday starter, leading the Hoosiers through confidence and toughness.

Jack Ankony

Fueled By Failure, Perkins Leads Indiana Into Ann Arbor With Warrior Mindset
Fueled By Failure, Perkins Leads Indiana Into Ann Arbor With Warrior Mindset /

After four balls to the leadoff man, a hit-by-pitch against the three-hitter and a single by the clean-up hitter, Jack Perkins immediately found himself in a bases-loaded jam in his start against Illinois on April 29.

Though Perkins leads Indiana with a 4.28 ERA and 66 strikeouts this season, it was a situation he's faced before. Perkins loaded the bases after getting the first two batters out against Purdue on April 9, which led to a four-run inning. But after battling through these difficult scenarios multiple times throughout the season, Perkins is better because of it.

In the past, it was easy for Perkins to get into a negative mindset on the mound. But his evolution over a year’s time has allowed him to realize that he’s been in the arena before, and he’s tough enough to get through it.

Perkins employed this “warrior-type mindset” in his most recent start against Illinois. With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the first, Perkins took a deep breath, struck out the next hitter and induced a ground ball for the third out to wiggle out of trouble.

The very next inning, he faced another bases loaded jam, but Perkins doesn’t see failure as a negative anymore. The biggest progression for him since last season is finding the positive in his failures and growing as a result. Four pitches after loading the bases, Perkins forced Justin Janas, a .328 hitter, to ground out to end the inning, escaping another jam.

“If you see failure as a negative thing, it can be really defeating to your mind,” Perkins said. “But if you allow failure to fuel you forward and find ways to make you better, it allows you to become a lot better as a person and a lot better as a player.”

Jack Perkins strides down the mound at Clemson on Feb. 19 (Photo by IU Athletics).
Jack Perkins strides down the mound at Clemson on Feb. 19 (Photo by IU Athletics)

Posting scoreless innings in the third and fourth, Perkins held Illinois’ first three batters to one hit in Indiana’s 7-6 win. Perkins guided the Hoosiers with 5.2 innings, seven hits, two runs, four walks and four strikeouts. After the game, Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said Perkins showed a bulldog mentality when navigating through a strong Illinois lineup.

"[Perkins] has built himself to be able to manage the workload on a Friday," Mercer said. 

Perkins transferred to Indiana this season after three years at Louisville, where his collegiate career got off to a promising start. As a freshman, Perkins posted a 4.18 ERA and a 3-0 record across 32.1 innings.

But when he faced Clemson in the 2019 ACC Tournament, Perkins left the game after just one inning. The next day an MRI confirmed a torn UCL, which meant Perkins needed Tommy John surgery and would be sidelined for his entire second season.

Perkins returned to the mound in 2021 and was mainly used as a relief pitcher for Louisville. In 16 innings of work, he finished the season with a 7.31 ERA with 22 walks and 15 strikeouts.

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Following the season, Perkins decided it was time for a change of scenery. He never expected to be in a situation to transfer, but he let his faith in God guide him to the right spot. In a tweet from Perkins announcing his commitment, he said “Sometimes God has a way of bringing things full circle.”

And as a native of Kokomo, Ind., that meant his home state and the school where many of his relatives graduated.

“God deserves all the credit for getting me here,” Perkins said. “It’s through faith that I am here, and especially going through that transfer process, your world kind of comes down on you.”

From Perkins’ first call with Mercer to his official visit on campus, there was an immediate bond. Perkins said he was looking for a coach that believed in him no matter what, and since becoming a Hoosier, he also considers Mercer a great friend and mentor.

Perkins and Mercer are very like-minded with their faith in God, and he was also drawn to the fatherly-type love Mercer has for his players. Perkins said Mercer wants every player on the roster to succeed, and he shows support on a daily basis, which makes him different from other coaches.

“I love [Mercer] to death,” Perkins said. “He’s the main reason I’m here.”

Perkins also credits Indiana pitching coach Dustin Glant for his transformation over the last year. The biggest dig on Perkins during his time at Louisville was his fastball command. His fast ball used to reach the upper 90’s, but in his role as a starter for Indiana, Perkins has learned to sustain his fastball at 92 to 95 miles per hour for over 100 pitches, which has led to better control.

Perkins said this season he has proven he can locate his fastball on both sides of the plate, and he’s starting to land his breaking pitches with more consistency. This ability to maintain consistent pitch speed deep into games, coupled with the ability to selectively blow a fastball past a hitter at 95 mph, is rare in the Big Ten.

"[Glant] has been the best thing that ever could have happened to me from a pitching coach perspective,” Perkins said. “He’s really groomed me into who I am, and he really deserves a lot of the credit for getting me here.”

Another step in Perkins’ personal growth over the last year has been his development as a leader. Perkins is friends with former Indiana pitchers Tommy Sommer and Gabe Bierman, and he knew Indiana was losing two veteran leaders when they were selected in the MLB Draft.

Perkins discussed the desire to be a leader for Indiana with Mercer, and it’s something he tries to accomplish on a daily basis. Whether it is flipping baseballs to a hitter in the batting cage or playing catch with the pitching staff, Perkins said he tries to use his past experiences to help younger players grow and build confidence.

Perkins and the Hoosiers now approach a weekend series in Ann Arbor, Mich. against a Wolverine squad that holds a 23-18 record overall and a 9-6 mark in conference, good for fifth place in the Big Ten.

First pitch is at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, and Perkins is slated to take the mound for the Hoosiers. Perkins obviously never tries to get in a jam on the mound, but if he does, his history of overcoming adversity has given him the confidence to get past any challenge. And with Perkins on the mound, Mercer trusts the leader his Hoosiers will follow.

“People don’t follow titles,” Mercer said. “They follow toughness. They follow guys that go through the wall and get knocked down and get back up. That’s what Jack [Perkins] has done.”

Related stories to Indiana baseball:

  • INDIANA WINS SERIES: Indiana scored eight runs in the fifth inning of Sunday's rubber match against Illinois. Freshman Carter Mathison belted two home runs, and Reese Sharp tossed 4.1 scoreless innings in relief to claim a crucial series victory. CLICK HERE
  • ILLINOIS FORCES RUBBER MATCH: The Fighting Illini bats were on fire all afternoon, resulting in 16 hits and 18 runs. Indiana strung together a rally in the late innings, but the task was too tall by then. Sunday's 1 p.m. first pitch will decide the series winner. CLICK HERE
  • PYNE DELIVERS WALK-OFF: Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer was impressed with Josh Pyne's maturity at the plate as the freshman third baseman continued his hot streak with a walk-off single down the third base line. CLICK HERE
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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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