BLUEFIELD, WV (WOAY) – It’s been a busy summer for former Shady Spring baseball star Parker Redden.
He graduated from high school in May, signed on to play at Delaware in June and won the Johnny Bench Award (best catcher in West Virginia) earlier this month.
Now he’s suiting up for the Burlington Sock Puppets in the Appalachian League, where he frequently competes against the Bluefield Ridge Runners and Princeton Whistlepigs.
Just a few months ago, Redden played at the Ridge Runners home ballpark as a high schooler. Now when he plays there, the atmosphere is a little different.
“To be a part of Shady and then come here and play on the same field I played at for four years, it’s pretty cool,” said Redden.
With a little over a month until he moves to Delaware to start his college career, Redden is using this opportunity to improve in any way he can.
“[Friday] we were seeing 94-95,” said Redden. “I haven’t seen that that much and it’s just a cool experience to be this young and be a part of this.”
Redden and the Sock Puppets return to Southern West Virginia on August 6th, when the team takes on Princeton.
