This is one in a series of articles highlighting some of the best players in the area heading into the 2022 high school softball season.
FOXBURG, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Mackenzie Parks is nervous.
Certainly not at the plate. As a hitter, Parks is the one who makes pitchers fret. As a sophomore playing her first season of varsity, she put up eye-popping numbers.
(Above, Mackenzie Parks and her father and A-C Valley softball coach, Mike Parks)
Parks is anxious because of her expanded role this season for the A-C Valley softball team, a role she is itching to finally fill in this poor-weather spring.
Pitcher.
Parks figures to do all the heavy lifting in the circle this season for the Falcons, who have a potent lineup to back her up. A-C Valley hasn’t played a game yet this season because of the dreary start to the spring, but the Falcons are scheduled to host Keystone Monday.
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
“It’s not what I’m really used to,” Parks said about pitching. “I’ve been practicing a lot. I’ve been working on it, but it’s a little nerve wracking, I guess. I just want to be good. I’m kind of sweating it a little bit because I like to play other places, but I still want to lead the team as an example. I want to do well for everyone else because I don’t want to let the team down.”
Parks split time at pitcher last season with Baylee Blauser, who opted not to come back this season to focus on her stellar track and field career.
When Parks did get the ball, she was effective last season, going 5-1 with a 7.24 ERA as A-C Valley out-slugged teams to get victories during a 6-8 campaign.
The junior hopes to make marked improvement this season after working with a pitching coach over the winter to harness her stuff, which includes a fastball with some zip and a sinking changeup.
Command plagued her last season; She issued more base on balls than strikeouts.
“I’m just going to take it as it goes,” Parks said. “I walked too many people. I’ve been working on my control. I’ve been seeing a pitching coach once a week and most of us on my travel team are pitchers, so we’ll pitch together. Being around people who can pitch helps. They really boost me because I want to do it and I want to be good at it.”
Parks is certainly good at the plate.
Last year she hit a team-leading.552 with two home runs and 32 RBI in just 58 at-bats.
Parks also had a bit of an oddity in her stat line. She struck out only once and didn’t draw a walk.
It was all contact, all the time out of her right-handed bat. She was the poster child for putting the ball in play.
Parks wasn’t the only potent hitter in the A-C Valley lineup.
The Falcons batted .421 as a team and scored 153 runs in 14 games. Many of those bats are back.
Despite how well Parks did as a batter last season, she is far from satisfied. She wants to drive the ball more, perhaps add to those two home runs. She also had eight doubles and a triple last season, but would like to see those numbers increase, too.
“I hold myself to a higher standard,” Parks said. “I guess because I do play travel ball and I like to make my dad (A-C Valley softball coach Mike Parks) happy. I just go up there and try to get on base.”
Parks is aware teams may take a different approach to pitching her this season.
That’ll be difficult since the players around her put up huge numbers last year as well.
“Maybe they’ll pitch me differently because they’ve heard about me,” Parks said. “I’m sure coaches know about me. But, I’m ready for anything.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
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