Peryn Bland learns from mayoral connection

Every morning starts in a similar fashion for Peryn Bland. Wake up, go to baseball practice and go to class. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Bland was just a regular student at Troy.  

Just over 200 miles away in the town of Meridian, Mississippi, Mayor Percy Bland starts his day with his own routine. He wakes up, gets ready and heads to his office downtown. Every morning, he looks at his family photo on his desk, featuring his wife and their two kids. 

At that same moment, one of those kids is suiting up in the locker room, getting ready for practice back 200 miles away in Troy, Alabama. Peryn, just a sophomore for the Troy baseball team, has found his role within the Troy team.  

He started eight games his freshman season while appearing in three more. Entering his sophomore season, Bland looks to have a breakout year in the sport he loves, attributing that love to his father. 

Brady Fitch photo

Peryn Bland throws the ball during a scrimmage

“I’ll probably say my dad,” Peryn said when asked about his love for baseball. “When I was younger, I played basically all sports, and basketball and baseball are the ones that I stuck with the longest.” 

Bland, a leader on the diamond for the Trojans, says those leadership qualities came from watching his dad lead the eighth biggest city in the state of Mississippi.  

“I see how he works and deals with all the things he has to deal with,” Peryn said. “All the positives and negatives throughout the day.” 

For some of the most pivotal years in a person's life, Peryn saw his dad lead the eastern Mississippi city, something he’s thankful for.  

“I would say it affected my life in a positive way,” Peryn said. “It was a lot, but you can learn from it, and being in a leadership role, you can see how it impacted my life.” 

Percy Bland first became mayor of Meridian in 2013 and stayed in office until 2021, serving two full terms as the mayor of the city. After a four-year gap, he would regain the mayoral seat in 2025 for his third term.  

The gap allowed the perfect amount of time for Peryn to excel on the high school level. He spent his first two years playing in Meridian while his dad finished up his second term before transferring to ThompsonHigh School in Alabaster, Alabama.  

“We had two good years my 11th and 12th grade years,” Peryn said about his experience. “I played summer ball with the kids that I went to high school with in Alabama so it wasn’t a brand-new environment.” 

Peryn understood early on that his situation was unique but is grateful for the experiences. 

“Some people are just like, ‘that’s the mayor's kid,’” Peryn said about how life was unique growing up. “Just being known because of my dad. 

“When I got to high school, it was kind of different from everyone else in Meridian. The community was different. He was so big into the community, whether it was the team I was on or something else, he was involved a lot.” 

Going into his sophomore year, Peryn looks to continue improving on an already solid freshmen year in the Cardinal, one that saw him record four runs on seven hits.  

The Meridian native gets back on the field, along with the rest of the Trojans, for fall ball action Sunday, Nov. 9 in Birmingham when the Trojans take on Samford at 9 a.m.