Getty Image / Morgan Engel
Hitting a Division I college baseball player is hard enough in itself. Most guys are throwing well over 90mph at that level these days with a ton of break on their pitches.
Now, imagine having the balance and coordination to do that while having a prosthetic leg. Seems impossible, right?
Not for East Carolina University’s Parker Byrd. Byrd made history on Friday, becoming the first player in NCAA Division I College Baseball to play with a prosthetic leg.
Parker Byrd had his leg amputated after a boating accident in 2022. He just become the first person to play in a Division 1 baseball game with a prosthetic legpic.twitter.com/937qAqyA4G
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) February 16, 2024
That’s incredibly cool, Parker.
Parker lost his leg in a boating accident in 2022. He had 22 surgeries in 45 days on that leg. But, Parker kept persevering, and is living out his dream of playing college baseball.
Not only did Parker Byrd get an at-bat, but he reached base, too. Byrd walked, helping his team to a 16-2 opening-night victory in Greenville, North Carolina.
Byrd is a sophomore from Laurinberg, North Carolina. He was a top-400 prospect in his graduating class, and is majoring in management at ECU.