During East Carolina's 12-0 victory vs. William & Mary on Friday, a heartwarming story emerged for one player in particular.
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That is, in the bottom of the 6th inning, Parker Byrd, who had his right leg amputated from a 2022 boating accident, came to the plate.
PARKER BYRD! HISTORY!
What a moment for @parkerbyrd11 who records what’s believed to be the first collegiate hit by a player with a prosthetic leg in D1 baseball history! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
PUT HIM ON SPORTSCENTER!@ECUAthletics @ECUBaseball
pic.twitter.com/qxq55VyRXU— Harrison Cordell Fant (@Fantavious9) March 15, 2025
On the first pitch of the at-bat, Byrd ripped a hard line drive single near the third base line, with all 4,000 fans in attendance giving him a standing ovation as he reached first base safely.
PARKER BYRD! HISTORY!
What a moment for @parkerbyrd11 who records what’s believed to be the first collegiate hit by a player with a prosthetic leg in D1 baseball history! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
PUT HIM ON SPORTSCENTER!@ECUAthletics @ECUBaseball
pic.twitter.com/MVQ8cwBDfy— Harrison Cordell Fant (@Fantavious9) March 15, 2025
Byrd now has a perfect .1000 batting average, as in his only other plate appearance of the season (11-1 win vs. VCU; 03/12/25), he got a RBI sacrifice fly.
To note, last season, Byrd was 0-for-2 on the year, but had a walk in his first-ever collegiate plate appearance.
When looking at his journey, Byrd was actually recruited by head coach Cliff Godwin, as a high school freshman. Needless to say, the Laurinburg shortstop was destined to attend ECU, as both of his parents are alumni.
When looking at his talent, a few years ago, Byrd was regarded as the second-best shortstop in North Carolina, (via Perfect Game). And now he is getting the chance to live out his dream, no matter what obstacles he has had to overcome along the way.
In view of how Byrd lost his leg, on July 23, 2022, he was boating with his teammates when he suffered a gruesome injury.
Over the course of a month and half, Byrd had to endure 22 surgeries, as at one point the doctors told him he had only two options, of either losing his leg or dying (due to the infection spreading)... That is, Byrd chose to never give up on life... and baseball.
Ahead of the 2024 season, he made the 40-man roster for ECU, and now he is making history on the baseball diamond.
While it was previously believed that Byrd was the first player in Division I history to play with a prosthetic leg and get a hit, he is actually the second. As Greg Dunn, who played for New Mexico in the late 80's, also defied the odds after losing his leg from a car accident before starting his collegiate career.
During the 1988 and '89 seasons, Dunn appeared in 61 games and accumulated a .200 batting average (25-for-125).
That is, as someone who has done it before, he had a message for Byrd.
"I would just tell him to enjoy life, you know?" Dunn said in an interview, talking about Byrd. "To appreciate the fact that God gave him this chance to play and to just try to enjoy it. That time of life goes by so quickly and, before you know it, even if you're two-legged, your baseball career is over and done. You don't stay a prime athlete for long. So I'd encourage him to just get some base hits and make sure his batting average is better than mine!"
Congressman Don Davis spoke on Byrd's resiliency back during a U.S. House of Representatives meeting last year, where he summed it all up.
"Parker's a testament of the resilience of Eastern North Carolina and the Miracles of God. America loves you, Parker. We're cheering for you, coach Cliff Godwin and the entire part baseball team."
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