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By Jorden Hampton
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Earlier this month, Stanford University freshman third baseman Jade Berry made her Women’s College World Series debut against the University of Texas. Although the Cardinal suffered their first loss, they bounced back behind her two RBIs to knock out Oklahoma State, before earning another win against UCLA in the elimination bracket. Facing Texas again, Stanford was eliminated in a 1-0 loss and fell short of the WCWS Finals.

Despite the final result, Berry cemented her place on the team, recording hits in eight of the Cardinal’s 11 postseason games. She finished the 2024 season as a member of the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, starting every game and finishing second on Stanford in OPS (.844), second in RBI (38) and tied for third in home runs (7).

Berry’s performance is no surprise, given her family’s long history of athletic achievements, which started with her parents, Perry and Lana, and has extended to her and her siblings, Jacob, Jenae and Jet.

“I think it definitely started from our parents. Both of our parents were very athletic. Our whole family is very competitive. So I think it starts with our parents and their work ethic and how they hold themselves in their jobs,” Jade said. “They put us in multiple sports growing up. I think all of us played two sports leading up to high school and even in high school.”

Following in her dad and brother’s footsteps, Jade began playing softball as a young girl and continued at Queen Creek High School. She earned three all-state selections, back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year awards in 2022 and 2023, the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-American in 2022. She also lettered in track and basketball. 

Her high school achievements, both on and off the field, led her to attend Stanford last fall.

In her first season at Stanford, Jade and the Cardinal dominated. Finishing 50-17, the Cardinal missed out on the Pac-12 championship. However, they proved enough to host their regional bracket in the NCAA tournament. 

After winning regionals, Stanford advanced to the Super Regional, where they split games with LSU. In the final game against the Tigers, Jade hit a home run and finished with 3 RBIs in an 8-0 shutout victory to send the Cardinals to the WCWS. 

“It was a hard transition. I mean, I work out with my sister a lot. I work out with both of my brothers a lot so it was definitely different not getting to see them every day,” Jade, 19, said about her transition to the collegiate ranks. “But I found my rhythm pretty quickly because of what I have learned from working with my family. They helped me make my play the way I do today.”

Jacob, their first son, was born in 2001 and grew up as the unintentional ringleader of his siblings. His passion for baseball led him to become more versalite on offense and defense, which he carried with him to Queen Creek and attracted the attention of college scouts.

Eventually, Jacob signed his letter of intent with the University of Arizona and helped the Wildcats advance to the 2021 College World Series. Arizona swept its regional and beat Ole Miss in the Super Regional, where he hit a home run in the final game to push the Wildcats to a 16-3 win. The team lost to Vanderbilt and Stanford, but Jacob was a vital part of the core.

Little did he know, that tournament run inspired his family.

“I remember watching the 2021 Super Regionals against Ole Miss when Jacob his that home run and they beat them to go to the World Series,” Jet said. “It was a shell shock to me. It really made me realize like, ‘Wow, enough hard work can really take you where you want to go.’ All those hours in the batting cage with my dad really paid off.”

Jacob transferred to Louisiana State University for the 2022 season after former Wildcats baseball coach Jay Johnson announced he was leaving to coach LSU. Jacob led the Tigers in batting average and after earning a second All-American selection, he was on the prospect radar entering the 2022 MLB Draft.

He was selected sixth overall by the Miami Marlins and has shined in the minor leagues with a .224 batting average in 785 plate appearances for the organization’s Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. 

“One of the first houses we lived in, we had a big batting cage in our backyard. One night, we were all sitting at dinner and Jacob wasn’t there. I remember looking for him and finding him in the cage working by himself,” Jade said. “It made me realize that if you really want something you have to work hard for it. Jacob is the perfect example for us three younger siblings, and he really set the stage for us to be our best.”

Even after all of the accomplishments of the eldest siblings, the Berry family legacy still has a bright future in the hands of Jenae and Jet. Jenae, 18, played three years of varsity baseball at Queen Creek, two of which were with Jade. She will join the University of Indiana softball team in the fall. 

Jet, 16, currently attends Queen Creek and joined the varsity baseball squad as a sophomore for the 2023-24 season. The rising junior helped his team return to the 6A State Championship for the second consecutive year and win after losing the title game in the previous season. 

“I have always looked up to my parents and my siblings, but I have worked so hard to make my own name as a Berry,” Jet said. “The competitive nature was always there. But if my siblings succeed, I feel like I succeed and I am happy for them.”

As a second and third baseman at Cortez High School (Cortez, California), Perry was selected by the California Angels in the 28th round of the 1987 MLB Draft. 

He elected to stay in school and attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he continued to improve his draft stock. Three years later, the Houston Astros selected him int he fourth round of the 1990 draft. 

Along the way, Perry met his wife Lana, who played high school and collegiate basketball. She played her first season at Colorado Mesa University, then transferred to play at Colorado State University.

Perry is the superintendent of Queen Creek Unified School District, while Lana is the chief financial officer for Chandler Unified School District. Both parents still show tremendous support for their children by attending games around the country and supporting them all through their respective seasons and sports. 

And in the end, when the clubhouse closes and the field lights turn off, Jacob, Jade, Jenae and Jet all know they have a place to call home.

“My siblings are my built-in best friends,” Jet said. “Not only in sports, but in life it was competitive. But I think that really bonded us as siblings. Being able to play sports as a family has brought us closer together in every way.”