Rafe Perich isn’t used to struggling.

The former Northwestern infielder and pitcher put up huge offensive numbers in his three seasons with the Tigers, and then carried that success right into the college ranks with Lehigh.

The Texas Rangers liked what they saw and drafted him in the seventh round of this summer’s MLB Draft with the 225th overall pick.

Since then, Perich has had somewhat of a wake-up call, which he is facing head-on and sees as just part of the process he has to work through to reach his ultimate goal of playing Major League Baseball.

Perich lost his senior season due to the COVID pandemic when spring sports were canceled, but still finished with over 100 hits and came close to reaching the 100-RBI plateau as well, finishing his career with 95 RBIs to go with 109 hits in a Tigers uniform. He also hit a lofty .449 in high school before heading off to Lehigh.

With the Mountain Hawks, Perich hit .337 in his career, and had a phenomenal junior season that saw him hit .382 with 58 hits in just 42 games. Perich also added six home runs, 11 doubles, 32 runs scored, and 44 RBIs, and ranked in the top-five in the Patriot League in OPS (1.064), SLG (.572) and OBP (.492).

While he was doing all of that on the field, Perich graduated with a 3.70 GPA, and was named a Patriot League All-Academic player while majoring in history.

“We were all at my uncle’s house with my whole family there, and when they called my name, it was just pure excitement,” remembered Perich of his draft day experience.

The Rangers and a number of other teams were interested in Perich, but Texas was probably hotter on him than any other team, with the Rangers telling him that depending on how their draft progressed, they would likely take him somewhere between rounds three and ten.

Following the draft, Perich was on a plane to Surprise, Arizona, where he met up with the rest of the players drafted by Texas and started his journey as a professional baseball player there.

After undergoing some routine testing and workouts, the Rangers gave the players their particular assignments with Perich headed to Kinston, North Carolina, to become a member of the Down East Wood Ducks in the Low-A Carolina League.

“It was great to finally get to meet my teammates, and get to know the guys I was going to rock with,” said Perich.

Perich noticed that most of his teammates spoke Spanish and that there was a language barrier, which he quickly turned into a bonding experience. Throughout the summer, Perich has worked with his teammates to help him learn Spanish at least to the point that he can communicate with them and hold conversations.

“They’ve been great in helping me to learn the language, and we all get along well,” said Perich. “It’s been really cool hanging out with them and playing ball with them.”

Perich noticed almost immediately that the professional game is faster than what he was used to. Other than that, Perich noted that “baseball is baseball,” and it was just going to be what he calls a day-to-day process that he had to work through. Another thing that Perich has had to work through was a sprained wrist that has limited his playing time throughout the season.

Another issue has been adjusting to struggles at the plate, something that Perich hasn’t faced in the past. That’s where his approach to the day-to-day process comes in, as he battles to get better.

“It’s all about that process, that day-to-day process that you have to work through,” he said. “You just go about your business and keep working on things and not let a bad day get you down. Instead, you just have to look to the next day and what’s coming up then.

“In the end, baseball is baseball, and I know how to do this and how to play this game. Struggling is just part of that process that I have to go through.”

The Wood Ducks finished their season this past Sunday, and will fall short of reaching the postseason. Perich has been sidelined since Aug. 22 due to the wrist injury that has limited him to just nine games this season.

After opening the year with two hits in his first three at-bats, Perich has gone into a 1-for-22 slump that has dropped his average to .120 on the season.

Following the season, Perich will head back to Arizona to continue treatment on his wrist and work with the staff at the Rangers training complex, and continue the process that will get him to where he wants to be.