Humenay, Perrin embrace pressure at T12

William Perrin, of Quebec Blue, went 2-for-2, with two RBI in his first game of Tournament 12 on Thursday. Photo Credit: David Morassutti

By Brandon Jodouin

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO – For a high school-aged athlete, just having the chance to play at the Rogers Centre would be exciting enough.

Add the eyes of pro and college scouts, and you can see what Justin Humenay and William Perrin are going through.

“It’s a great experience, but it’s stressful,” said Humenay, a first-time participant with Quebec at Tournament 12. “You know, playing in a huge stadium, in front of scouts.

“But as time goes on you have to learn how to deal with it.”

Even those taking part in the scouting combine for the second time find the pressure is still there.

“It’s a little bit less stressful because you know the feel, you know the stadium and how everything works,” said William Perrin, a 17-year-old corner infielder on the same team. “But you still have a little stress inside you, because there are scouts everywhere and it’s crazy.”

It’s a fact that expectations will only get greater should any of them sign a pro contract or a national letter of intent. For some players, the intensity actually aids their performance.

“I like it, because it makes me perform better and do the best I can,” said Perrin, standing in the sun outside the third base dugout after an hour workout that included running, fielding and hitting.

Others must find a way to deal with the increased pressure.

“When I get stressed I usually put my earphones in,” said the 16-year-old Humenay, from Beaconsfield, Que. “I get in a zone and I try to focus on one goal, and try to attain it.”

The players are being careful not to add to their level of anxiety with any additional expectations.

“I just want to do my best and just show what I can do,” said Perrin, a native of Terrebonne, Que. “I don’t want to do too much, just do the simple things and play baseball.”

And they remain optimistic about their performances.

“I mean, I had a shaky first outing but it’s all about bouncing back,” said Humenay. “I had a good second outing and I feel like I’m doing good.”

Perrin agrees.

“I feel pretty great. I did well in the first game, in the second game I did okay. So I got to pick it up in the third game and just do what I can do.”