How does a college baseball player go from zero home runs one year to 16 the next?
In the case of Virginia center fielder Jarrett Parker, the answer was to take a vacation from the sport.
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While many teammates retreated to summer league outposts last year, Parker stayed in Charlottesville, working baseball camps, taking a few classes, pumping iron and eating. A year later, Parker, a sophomore from Colonial Forge High in Stafford County, has gone from batting No. 9 in the lineup to No. 1, literally leading Virginia to its first College World Series berth.
After hitting .264 with seven extra-base hits as a freshman, Parker leads the Cavaliers in home runs (16), triples (7), RBIs (65), runs (75), and slugging percentage (.684) and is second in doubles (19), steals (19), and batting average (.364). The numbers sound more like those of a middle-of-the-lineup hitter, not a leadoff man, but Parker relishes the chance to be unique.
“I like to start things off,” said Parker. “Whether its home runs or base hits, it’s something I can do. I love being that spark, that guy that gets us going.”
That will be Parker’s mission Saturday night when Virginia (48-13-1) takes on one of college baseball’s blueblood programs, LSU (51-16), in the Cavaliers’ World Series opener at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.
Last year at this time, Parker was working with Virginia strength coach Ed Nordenschild and nutritionist Rob Skinner. Parker increased his bench press from 240 pounds to 290 and his squat from 265 to 365. When fall practice started, Parker, now 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, impressed his teammates with his new body and the sudden pop in his bat.
“I have never had a player from one year to the next make as big strides as he has,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “We practice all fall and the [spring] season is long. If you don’t take a two- or three-month period and just concentrate on weight training, it’s hard to put on strength and muscle. I wish I had done it with other players.”
But Parker insists that weight training is only part of the equation. He believes he was due for a breakout season. His power numbers are not so surprising considering he hit 25 home runs in high school. He credits the year of experience as much as his new muscles.
“I played a year of college baseball. It was overwhelming,” said Parker. “I came back this year, knew what to expect, knew what it was going to take to play a season of college baseball.”
To improve further and enhance his stock for the 2010 draft, Parker needs to learn more plate discipline. His 71 strikeouts are 23 more than any Cavalier. But O’Connor isn’t in any hurry to reign in a slugger with a rare blend of power and speed.
“He plays with a lot of emotion,” said O’Connor. “I love that about him. I think that brings excitement to our team.”
