Maryland baseball right-hander Hunter Parsons quickly established himself in his freshman year, settling into the fourth-starter role after coming out of the bullpen to start the 2016 season.
And with right-hander Mike Shawaryn’s departure to the professional ranks leaving a weekend starter spot open for the 2017 campaign, Parson has looked the part this summer with the Baltimore Redbirds.
A Cal Ripken League All-Star, Parsons leads all pitchers with six wins and boasts a 1.49 ERA over 36.1 innings.
“They’ve been quality starts,” Redbirds coach Larry Sheets said. “I’ve loved having him. He’s been a huge part of the team so far, and he’ll be a huge part coming down the stretch.”
At Maryland this past season, Parson said he primarily used his fastball and changeup. He’s been able to develop his slider with the Redbirds, a pitch Sheets and Parson said is one reason the Fruitland native has found so much success.
“Adding that third pitch has helped me keep batters off balance,” Parsons said.
Parsons said he has also made significant strides in terms of his strike-throwing ability.
The 6-foot-3 righty didn’t struggle too much with his control with the Terps, walking 13 and striking out 28 over 36 innings, but he saw room to grow.
In the Cal Ripken League, he’s walked just seven batters over 36.1 innings and picked up 42 strikeouts.
“It’s just [controlling] my body and learning what my body needs to do to be more consistent,” Parsons said. “[Redbirds pitching coach Craig Lopez] has helped me a lot with that.”
And most of Parsons’ walks while pitching for the Redbirds came early in the season. In his past three starts, he has issued one free pass while striking out 16. It’s a credit to both Lopez and Parsons, Sheets said.
“Lopez is an excellent pitching coach,” Sheets said. “And Parsons is a very coachable young man, which is so important. He’s interested and willing to make adjustments.”
Parsons’ dominance on the mound has helped the Redbirds to the best record in the league at 27-11 and earned him a spot in the All-Star game July 13. He was unavailable to pitch after starting two days earlier against the Gaithersburg Giants but said the selection was an honor.
“It was awesome and I couldn’t have done it without coach Lopez and the defense,” Parsons said. “It was an awesome feeling and an awesome night.”
Sheets said Maryland coach John Szefc played a role in the decision not to have Parsons pitch on the short-rest, and it’s one of many ways that Szefc has been hands-on with the Redbirds over the summer.
Parsons said he hears from Szefc frequently, and the veteran coach often comes to watch the Redbirds, who have five Terps on their roster.
Szefc’s attendance serves as another reminder of how Parson’s performance this summer can impact his role with the Terps going forward.
“We’re going to need a guy on the weekend,” Parsons said. “My hope is that I can use this summer and just continue it right into the fall and spring,”
