Parker set to join Bryan baseball team
Baseball has always been a big part of Mason Parker’s life and that will continue to be the case once the Ringgold senior graduates later this spring.
Mason officially signed his papers to play at Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn. during a well-attended ceremony at the RHS Score Room last Monday night.
“Having family and friends here just means a lot to me,” he said. “I’m so excited for this moment. I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a little kid.”
The two-sport standout was also looking into playing football in college. However, he said he and his family reconsidered his options after he suffered a concussion in what became the Tigers’ final game of the season.
“It was a huge decision for me,” he explained. “(My parents) were really leaning towards baseball (after that). But baseball has always been my thing and I think I’m better at baseball too, so I’m really excited to get to play at the next level.”
Parker said he’ll be getting a full ride with the Lions.
“The coaches already love me so much and it felt like home the minute I stepped on campus,” he added. “All the coaches and players were greeting me as soon as I got there, so that was nice. Plus the campus and just everything else about it is nice.
“I’m going to go out there and do my best to prove to them that I can start as a freshman for their team and succeed at that level.”
Parker, who will be a middle infielder at Bryan, played in just nine games as a freshman,
but provided a spark by hitting .273 for the Tigers with a double, a triple, four stolen bases, eight RBIs and 10 runs scored.
After the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Parker earned All-Region first team and second team All-State honors as a junior by hitting .357 with eight doubles, 18 RBIs and 35 runs scored.
On the gridiron, he took over under center in the second game of his senior season and finished with 1,186 passing yards and nine TD’s, while rushing for 501 yards and four more scores.
This past fall, he led the Tigers to a 10-win season and the second round of the
playoffs by completing 117 of 189 passes for 1,483 yards and 21 touchdowns against just six interceptions and rushing 85 times for 382 yards and four scores.
“You’ll find competitors here that have changed the game and I felt like Mason was one of those who has changed our game over the last two years,” said Ringgold head football coach Robert Akins.
Akins, an alma mater of Christian-based Harding University in Arkansas, said he thinks Parker found the perfect fit in Bryan.
“Not just athletically, but because of his heart and character and the influences that
he’s going to have, not only at Bryan but throughout his life, I think he’s going to change the world.”
Ringgold head baseball coach Drew Walker said Parker has been an impact player since the day he walked in the door at RHS.
“We had heard about him since middle school and he made an immediate impact on the varsity level in multiple sports as a freshman and continued to do so for the next three years,” Walker said. “He’s all about doing and not about talking. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but everything he does mirrors leadership in his action.”
Walker called Parker “a
five-tool guy” and believes Parker will find the field sooner rather than later.
“He’s so dynamic in everything he does and he can play,” the coach added. “(In college), it’s always about what you can bring to a team at the next level to get on the field and he can play five or six positions and not miss a beat. Plus, he’s a pure hitter and he’s going to find a spot on the field just with his bat.
“I think he has a very good chance of playing early and I’m looking forward to watching him play at the next level.”
Parker said he planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and major in business.