Jeff Perkins hung from the fence, watching a home run fly far over his head, far over the batting cages that stood as the backdrop of the Little League baseball field he patrolled as center fielder.

Perkins’ good friend and teammate, Jamie Morin, had thrown the pitch that was sailing out of the yard, and without an overpowering fastball it looked as though he and his Goffstown Little League squad were in for a long day against a powerful Staten Island team.

But Morin allowed just one more run, helping his team pull off the upset with a 3-2 win during the 2000 New England Regional Little League finals.

“That was the moment I will never forget, watching that massive home run the kid hit off of him,” said Perkins. “I remember thinking, ‘Man, how are we ever going to beat this team?”

Morin and Perkins have remained friends and teammates at each level of play, all the way to their final game together at Keene State College, where they led the Owls to a Little East Conference title in Morin’s final year at the school.

“We’ve been best friends all throughout our careers in sports,” Perkins, a junior, said. “But it also goes beyond sports. Our friendship continued to grow, and still does.”

The pair went their separate ways following their days at Goffstown High School, with Morin going to the University of Vermont and Perkins attending Loomis Chaffee in Connecticut.

Both wound up at Keene State, and one of the reasons Morin transferred there was the presence of Perkins.

“It was comforting. It was nice going to Keene knowing that he was there being one of my teammates again,” said Morin. “It was a pleasure to get to play with him again and to be out there on the field with him.”

The two have found success at many levels, from their appearance in the Little League World Series to their state championship victory with Goffstown High School and their trip to the Division III NCAA Tournament with the Owls.

Matt Benson, who coached the pair during their high school careers, said their strengths extend far beyond the baseball field.

“They typify Goffstown people because they’re a close community, give 110 percent in everything they do, and they’re passionate about what they do,” Benson said. “They’re an outstanding representation of the community of Goffstown.”

During the last two years in Keene, Perkins and Morin have been roommates in an offcampus house, although Benson joked it likely wasn’t too lively an environment.

“They’ve been such good friends and they have really trusted each other,” Benson said. “I just don’t know how much conversation they have because they’re both so quiet.”

Benson was an assistant coach when Morin was a freshman, and became head coach during Morin’s senior year. “He was a leader from the get-go. Kids respect him, coaches respect him,” said Benson. “You can put him in any situation and he’d be successful. There’s just something in him.”

Keene State baseball coach Ken Howe said Perkins and Morin both proved themselves leaders – through their work ethic more than their mouths. “I’ve always just wanted to get better,” said Perkins. “I wanted to learn, and I know that I’ve had the ability to gain knowledge from other players. I just always try to realize that I can’t just go through the motions.”

Morin finished his baseball career at Keene State with two straight gems, a three-hitter with 15 strikeouts in a key 1-0 LEC Tournament win over Eastern Connecticut and a four-hit, 13 strikeout performance against St. Joseph’s of Maine in the Owls’ 6- 1 NCAA Tournament victory.

“He’s pitched in big games his whole life,” said Keene State pitching coach Marty Testo. “He looked at it as just another game. When the big games come around and he has the ball, it’s just another day. His job was the same regardless.”

Perkins’ success at the top of the KSC lineup comes in his ability to battle in the batters box.

“He can take two strikes and make you think he has none on him,” said Howe, who added the team’s pitchers call him “Pesky Perk.” “He’ll foul off good strike pitches, but not ones he can hit. His ability and knowledge of the strike zone is unparalleled.”

Benson said the personalities of Perkins and Morin will lead them to success in whatever they do, just as they have found success at every level they’ve played baseball together.

“If you have a Little Leaguer and you are a parent, you look at those two, and they are two outstanding role models,” said Benson. “If your son or daughter grew up to be like them, you’d be so proud.”