This big man is the cool man.

Northwestern’s Rafe Perich, a 6-3, 215-pound bear of a youngster, was pretty popular with his 2021 baseball teammates.

And why not?

The gregarious shortstop, switch hitter and right-handed pitcher tends to look at the glass as half-full. All things being equal, he does not mind having a good time.

“I’m just going to miss high school,” Perich said of his Northwestern career. “It went by way too quick. The next thing you know, it was over. I’m going to miss high school. It was a lot of fun.”

Winning baseball games is a lot more fun than losing them, and winning is a subject with which Perich and his Tiger teammates have expertise.

The 2021 campaign produced a 19-5 record and a spot in the District 11 Class 4A championship game. And Perich was a big reason why these Tigers roared.

“This season meant a lot,” said Perich. “I didn’t even know if I was going to play this year, due to injury. Just being on the field meant a lot. Making the district championship just made it a great year.”

Perich hit .413 and posted 32 RBIs for the Black and Gold in his high school swan song.

In the Colonial League championship game against Notre Dame, he launched two moon shot home runs, the latter traveling nearly 400 feet.

Next spring, he’ll take his sledgehammer bat to Southside Bethlehem and Lehigh University. He formalized his plans for the next four years during Northwestern’s annual collegiate commitment ceremony, held June 1 at Tiger Stadium.

“I have really strong connections with the head coach (Sean Leary) and my father (Josh Perich) went there, so I’m really close to the whole university,” Perich said.

His father, who was drafted by the New York Mets in 1998, impacted his decision to concentrate on the diamond.

“Baseball has been the sport that I’ve focused most on my whole life,” said Perich. “My dad went pro in baseball and I’m just following in his footsteps.”

Those footsteps will, no doubt, include having some fun for Rafe Perich.