Parks Ready To Prove He Is 'That Guy' At Butler

GRAND RAPIDS - Hard work has paid off for Evan Parks.

“Basically, every winter I go to a hitting coach, I lift and I take 5,000 ground balls to get ready for the season,” the Forest Hills Eastern senior related. “During the season I’m also lifting, getting as big as I can to be the right size for the level I’m playing.”

The next level for the 11th-ranked 2022 shortstop in Michigan is Division I after a recent commitment to Butler.

“It all began to happen in late June playing in a tournament at a park in Kokomo. Coach Schrage was there and saw me play a few games,” Parks said in reference to Butler head coach Dave Schrage. “Then later that weekend he talked to coach (Jerry) Cowan, one of my travel coaches. He asked if I was interested and the next week after that I committed.

“It was a quick process,” Parks continued. “They needed someone and I fit that part. I was always a pass-the-eye-test-guy on your checklist.”
What Butler liked had a lot to do with the hitting ability of the 78th-rated senior in Michigan.

“From what I heard they liked the way I put the barrel on the ball consistently,” Parks noted. “They also thought I was smooth enough in the field to play at Butler.”

Recent work put in during the offseason was showing, according to the 6-3 179-pound left-handed hitting infielder.

“After all the ground balls over the winter I’ve noticed a big change in my approach and the outcome of every ground ball just from the repetition,” Parks explained. “It’s the mental side. I can see what every ball is going to do. Muscle memory is playing out in the game.”

Admittedly, before the rapid recruitment with Butler, Parks had some concerns with his baseball future.

“I always believed in myself and my coaches and trusted the process, but was I nervous?” Parks asked. “Yes and no.”

With Butler, the 4.0 student with plans to major in business found what he was looking for when it came to baseball and schooling.

“I had a few colleges interested, but some that were not at the academic standard I wanted,” noted Parks, who said most of those intrigued were NAIA and Mid-American Conference schools. “Then Butler poked its head in and they were the academic school I wanted. Once they showed interest I knew that’s what I wanted.”

It brought an end to a dream the 18-year-old has had for most of his life.

“I’ve played baseball since I was able to walk so it’s always been part of me,” Parks said. “I’m not sure when I decided I wanted to play D-I baseball, but I think it’s always been there. About seventh or eighth grade or the time I was going into high school I decided I had the potential to be a good college athlete, so why not put in the extra work and see where it gets me.

“I’d always been a tall skinny kid, so I started going into the weight room. I took a strength and conditioning class and started feeling I could do something with this.”

Travel coaches Drew Kidd and Cowen have been big in his development, according to Parks, along with batting coach Dave Joppie, high school head coach Ian Hearn, who has won more than 500 games as well as a state championship when at Rockford, and Forest Hills Eastern assistant Jim Hazlett.

“It all kind of feels surreal,” Parks noted about his commitment. “When it happened it didn’t really feel like it happened. You grow up watching guys play and they always look so big. Now I have an opportunity to be that for other kids. It’s kind of scary, but I’ve had a lot of support from my family.”

Parks is confident he can be a big contributor upon joining the Big East Conference program located four hours from his home in Grand Rapids.

“I really take pride in consistency in the way I hit and the way I field,” Parks said. “I feel I’m not going to be making a lot of errors and I’m going to hit well. I know there are going to be some others on this team that are good but I feel I’m going to fit right in size-wise and skill-wise. If I’m not their ‘one guy’ I’ll prove it. I’ll put in the work needed to be that guy.”