Parks Named to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Watchlist
4/18/2019 6:00:00 PM | Baseball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Kent State senior Pavin Parks has been placed on the ninth annual John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award 25-player watchlist, as announced by the National College Baseball Foundation Wednesday, April 17.Â
The award is named for the former Washington State University standout who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s. The award will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this summer.
Parks is the lone representative of the Mid-American Conference on a 25-athlete list that boasts 12 players from Power Five schools.
Parks has excelled in all facets of the game this season, starting all 34 games between the middle infield and third base. While batting .256 and leading the team in RBIs and walks, the Uniontown, Ohio native has also made ten appearances on the mound this season. In 16.1 innings of work, Parks is 2-1 (both wins recorded over Power Five opponents) and has posted a 1.65 earned run average with 20 strikeouts.
Notably last time out, Parks earned a win on the mound over Pitt in addition to going 4-for-5 at the plate. He blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning and went on to notch the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off victory.
Parks also collected a win over Indiana in a 12-inning thriller March 27. He started the game at second base and batting clean-up, scoring three runs (including the winning run) and tallying an RBI with two walks. The senior stepped to the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning and closed the door on the Hoosiers to force extra innings before eventually picking up the win with 4.2 innings pitched and season-high eight strikeouts.
On the season, he stands in eighth in the conference in walks (24), ninth in home runs (5) and tenth in RBIs (28).
Next up, the Flashes will travel to DeKalb, Ill. to continue Mid-American Conference play with a three-game set at Northern Illinois Friday through Sunday, April 19-21.
