Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1987
Though he was one of Murray State’s all-time great hitters, Jack Perconte broke into the Thoroughbred baseball lineup for other reasons.
“I wanted him in the starting lineup primarily for his speed and glove,” coach Johnny Reagan said at the time.
Not only did Perconte display fine speed and defense, he also hit the ball hard and often.
After batting a solid .323 as a sophomore, the scrappy second baseman was among the national batting leaders as a junior, hitting .404 as the ‘Breds hit a nation’s best .332. that 1975 team was one of Reagan’s best, winning a school-record 40 games, claiming the Ohio Valley Conference championship, and appearing in the team’s first NCAA tournament.
The next year, Perconte hit “only” .333, finishing his career with a .349 batting average, which is the fourth best ever at MSU.
Perconte still holds more than a dozen MSU records, including all of the on-base records. He also is the all-time leader in games played and stolen bases and still holds the OVC record for career walks with 167.
Perconte was a two-time All-OVC selection and has compiled the best major league baseball career of any Thoroughbred to date, spending seven years in the big leagues. In 1984, he set the Seattle Mariners’ record for hits in a season. He played last season in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
A native of Joliet, Ill., Perconte was a standout at Joliet Catholic High School. During his four years with the ‘Breds, the team won 142 games, the best four-year total in team history.
In 1976, he was named Scholar Athlete of the Year at MSU. (The Murray Ledger & Times, October 26, 1987, Homecoming ’87)
 |
 |
| Jack Perconte & Mike Strickland | |
 |
|
| Class of 1987 Jack Perconte, Les Taylor, Nita Head, Jim Krejci, & Ron Acree |
