Parker named First-Team All-American again

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast right fielder Brandon Parker has been named an NJCAA All-American for a second season.

"It's a great honor for him again," Bulldogs coach Rodney Batts said. "It's tough to do it once, but to have the two years he did here, that's a special honor for him. He's the first one since Doug Thompson. He's a special player and a special person."

Parker is the first Bulldog to make the First Team twice.

"It's a huge accomplishment," he said. "It means a lot to me because of all the hard work we've put in on and off the field at Perk. There's a lot of late nights and work we've put it. It feels good. It feels awesome."

Thompson is the only other two-time All-American at Gulf Coast. The pitcher was honored in 1995-96 before going on to even more fame as a College World Series-clinching pitcher at LSU.

Parker, who was drafted in the 10th round by the Atlanta Braves in last week's MLB Draft, batted .359 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs this season. He had an on-base percentage above 50 percent and finished his career with 38 home runs and 129 RBI.

Parker won NJCAA Division II Player of the Year as a freshman and was selected to play for the NJCAA National Team which finished second at the NBC World Series. That's the highest an NJCAA team has finished.

The Bulldogs went 65-34 during his two seasons, qualifying for the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament both years. Parker didn't make an error while handling 159 chances in right field during his career.

Parker is scheduled to go to Atlanta later this week to take a physical and sign with the Braves. He'll start his pro career with the Danville (Va.) Braves in the Appalachian League, an advanced rookie-level league.

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