With verbal offers from schools such as the six time NCAA Championship winner University of Texas, sophomore Jacob Parrott’s baseball career is on a trajectory path for success.  To already have received verbal offers from reputable schools at the age of 15 is far from normal.

The 6’1” sophomore made a name for himself his freshman year when he was quickly moved to the varsity team. Not only was he the only freshman on varsity, he played– and he played well.

His freshman year, Parrott hit 4 home runs on varsity, the second most to 2013 graduate Tanner DeVinny who now plays at Kansas State University.

Like many baseball players, Parrott started out at five years old in t-ball with his dad, Forrest Parrott, as his coach.

“I’ve been playing baseball for as long as I can remember,” Parrott said. “I’ve loved it from the very start when my dad coached me in t-ball.”

At a young age, he was already excelling, playing in the Pony All-Star tournament in Schertz, Texas.

Over the years, Parrott’s talent continued to grow and grow, as did the number of trophies.

His baseball career exploded the summer before his freshman year when he competed in the Power Showcase, an invitation only showcase for high school players from across the country.

“At a showcase you just go through a bunch of drills in front of scouts,” Parrott said. “The Power Showcase was a great experience. It was awesome not just because it’s playing with some of the top kids from around the world but you get to play in an MLB stadium.”

Parrott has participated in the Power Showcase the past two summers, an opportunity he was provided through his select baseball career.

Currently Parrott plays select ball for Team Citius. Over the years he has also played for teams such as D-BAT and the Dallas Patriots.

Although baseball might seem the same everywhere, Parrott believes there’s a big difference between select and high school baseball.

“Select is way different,” Parrott said. “It’s much more intense and competitive. But high school baseball is also great.”

So far this season, Parrott has 4 home runs, on track to beat the 7 he hit last year. His high school career has been a successful one, and it’s not even halfway done.

“Jacob is a very talented, very determined player,” head coach Russell Reichenbach said. “He is the type of player who wants to excel in all aspects of the game. Whether it is hitting, fielding, or running the bases, Jacob has the desire to be great at all phases of the game.”

He brings a lot to the Leopard lineup.

“Physically, Jacob brings to the team some great qualities,” Reichenbach said. “Defensively, he plays a solid left field for us. And offensively, he provides a power threat in the middle of our line up. He’s got a lot of pop, so when he squares the ball up he can do some damage for us.

The other thing Jacob brings to the team is experience. Even though he is a sophomore, Jacob is one of the few returning starters we have from last year’s team. He has been through some big varsity games and it is good to have that experience back this year on an inexperienced team.”

But baseball is more than just a game for Parrott; it’s a lifestyle for him and his family.

“In many ways, baseball has been central to our family’s life,” father Forrest Parrott said. “Weekends and vacations have for the most part centered around the game; we’ve traveled as a family from Colorado to New York to Florida for baseball tournaments, seeing the sights, playing at the beaches and growing closer. It’s also been core to our circle of friends. All four of us can honestly say that many of our best friends came into our lives through baseball.”

According to the Parrott’s, baseball is a great aspect of Jacob’s life.

“It’s been a very positive pursuit,” Forrest said. “Jacob aspires to play the game a long time, and so has developed habits that might make that possible. He’s learned to deal with failure, how to assimilate quickly with new teammates, how to be a good teammate, how to be coachable, and how to persevere. It’s also helped him stay focused on getting good grades and making good choices, because he knows that both are necessary to achieve his dream.”

Parrott’s mom, Barby, agrees that baseball has had a positive impact on their family and Parrott as an individual.

“It’s helped us to meet great people who are life-long friends even though we’re not playing together anymore,” Barby said. “We’ve seen much of the country through travel that we wouldn’t otherwise have seen. For Jacob it has kept him focused on the future, taught him to work together for a common goal with players he doesn’t know, taught him to work, taught him to play by the rules because of the immediate consequences of his or other’s actions, shown him sacrificing for his goals is important and pays off, helped him to learn to be a leader…much more.”