From Future Games To Future Bearcat For Parnell

Shawn Parnell SS / RHP / Archbishop Hoban, OH / 2022

AKRON - Day two of the Future Games is when Shawn Parnell began communicating with Cincinnati. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Hoban sophomore was a commit to the American Athletic Conference school.

“From what they told me I played really well at the Futures,” the ninth-ranked 2022 in Ohio said. “I felt I showed I had a good bat, I proved I had a great arm on the mound and that I had potential in the field. 

“They said that I could be a two-way guy,” Parnell added. “They really liked my aggressive bat at the plate.”

Talk with Cincinnati continued until Parnell went to a camp and had a visit to the school located 31/2 hours from his Akron home.

“I love how the baseball field sits down low,” Parnell related about what stood out about UC. “The campus was beautiful and it’s not too far from home. I felt Cincinnati could be my new family. It feels like the one we have at Hoban. It just seemed like the perfect fit.”

But why now for the fifth-ranked sophomore shortstop in the state?

“I’ve gotten asked that a lot by my friends,” Parnell said. “My response has been that I felt I found the right place. They showed faith in my early when I’m not at my peak yet, so why wait?”

The 5-10 178-pound switch-hitter has been making strides to reach his “peak” on the field.

“I think my game has improved a lot,” Parnell noted. “I’ve become a better listener for one thing. I take what I see in my older brothers’ games and have added it to mine. I’m a lot more confident at the plate, too. I’ve also gotten a lot stronger and faster. A lot of my physical attributes have improved.

“While I’m still learning, I’ve worked on my craft so much it’s given me this opportunity of a D-I scholarship.”

That is something Parnell began thinking about just a few years back.