Division I signee boosts Warriors’ prospects

A Class 5 state baseball semifinalist a year ago, Nansemond River’s hopes of a return to the state tournament were lifted this past week by the addition of shortstop Darnell Parker Jr., a Washington State University signee and Major League Baseball draft prospect.

An Isle of Wight County native, Parker, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior, has played the past four seasons for IMG Academy, a nationally renowned athletic training school in Bradenton, Florida. He is ranked by perfectgame.org as the No. 11 player and No. 2 shortstop in Virginia.

Parker began this high school season with IMG, which is ranked No. 3 nationally by Perfect Game. He says he transferred to Suffolk — where he lives with his aunt and uncle — to play for firstyear Nansemond River coach Ty Rivers, his personal trainer since he was 8.

“When Ty got the [Nansemond River] job, I called him and said, ‘Don’t be surprised if I come back and play for you,’ ” Parker said. “He is a coach who has 100 percent belief in me, and I definitely think we can win a state championship at Nansemond River.”

Rivers said Parker has moved seamlessly into the starting shortstop position for the Warriors, who return numerous key players from their 2022 team, including the top pitchers.

“There aren’t too many who cover or can glove like him,” Rivers said. “He’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the country, and I think he’s the best in the state.”

A Perfect Game evaluation describes Parker as having an “athletic build with good present strength” and lists his 60-yard dash time as 6.97 seconds. It reads further that he has “very athletic actions in the middle infield on defense, has impressive body control, fast and sure hands fielding the ball, throws well from multiple arm slots [and is a] highlevel defender.”

Parker brings significant national and international experience to Nansemond River. This past summer he played in the Perfect Game National Showcase at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida, then competed on a New Balance Future Stars team in October that won the Caribbean Classic in the Dominican Republic.

In between, he played in the Hank Aaron 44 Invitational, hosted by Ken Griffey Jr., for the country’s top 44 African American players, and in the Minority Baseball Prospects All-American Game. He also participated in the Future Stars Main Event at Fenway Park in September for New Balance’s top 50 players.

“That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience because of all the pro scouts and because not many get to play in Fenway during high school,” said Parker, who said he has talked to representatives from more than 10 major-league teams about the possibility of being drafted in June.

“I want to bring leadership to the culture at Nansemond River. It’s great to be back playing for Coach Ty and where my family can see me.”