USF baseball has picked up a late addition to its incoming recruiting class, as Devin Perry, a 6-foot-3 right-hander from Massachusetts opted to enroll at USF last week after deciding not to honor a commitment to Boston College.

"He had his roots down in Tampa and in his heart, I think he always wanted to go back down south," his high school coach, Rick Foresteire. "He was very impressed with USF and the new facility they've built."

Perry, who attended Tampa Prep as a freshman, had chosen Boston College as a high school junior because the coach there had agreed to allow him to be an everyday player despite his strength being as a pitcher, with a fastball in the low 90s and a solid breaking ball. When coach Mik Aoki left to be head coach at Notre Dame last year, he had other offers from elite programs like USC, Duke and Michigan, but not with the chance to play and pitch.

USF coach Lelo Prado will give Perry that chance this spring -- Foresteire said he'll get a chance at third base or a corner outfield spot, as well as working as a reliever, much in the same role Junior Carlin played for the Bulls last season.

"If he wanted to focus on just pitching, he probably would have been drafted right away," he said. "But I understand he wants to be an everyday player, and it's different in terms of how you treat your arm."