UHV’s Parker selected by Colorado Rockies in 2025 MLB Draft
A professional baseball career wasn't Brady Parker's first thought of coming out of Victoria East High School.
Rather, as a two-sport athlete, the left-handed pitcher thought basketball was his calling and was hoping for a collegiate career on the hardwood before ultimately deciding to stay home and play baseball at the University of Houston-Victoria.
"It was something I wanted to do, but, in high school, I was still in love with basketball," Parker said. "So, if I had gotten an offer to go play, I would have went and played basketball instead of baseball."
But Parker made the right choice and turned it into a historic career for the Jaguars, setting a new career record for strikeouts with 252 over his three years and helping the team to two NAIA Opening Round appearances and the program's first-ever Red River Athletic Conference Tournament championship in 2023. He boasted a 23-11 record in 45 appearances with a career 4.71 ERA and was an All-RRAC First Team selection in 2024 and 2025.
That decision to stay home paid off on Monday with Parker being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 12th round with the 347th overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft.
"I'm really thankful to the Rockies for this opportunity," Parker said. "I couldn't be happier. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get to the next level."
He joins Andre Del Bosque (2014) as the only two Jaguars ever drafted to the MLB and just the 10th Victorian picked in the draft. He's the first from Victoria to be drafted since Zac Leigh was drafted in 2021.
"I know it's always been a dream of his. But to make that dream a reality, you have to put in some extra work," said head coach Jonathan Stavinoha. "It's not going to come by just showing up every single day. He really embraced that and said, 'What can I do to get to the next level? What can I do to better myself and my teammates to really show out this year?' And that's what he did. He went to work and it showed."
Immediate impact
Through private pitching lessons with UHV pitching coach Doug Heinold ahead of his high school senior season in 2022, Parker made an immediate impression with his athleticism.
"Right away, I saw the athleticism Brady had," said Heinold, who was a former first round draft pick by the Yankees out of Stroman High School. "He was built well. Coming from the left side really helps. He had a good fastball at the time, though it was only 83-85 (MPH)."
His first season at UHV saw the southpaw win seven games in 15 appearances, including one of the Jaguars' four wins to sweep the field at the 2023 RRAC Tournament.
The time working with Heinold and Stavinoha yielded plenty of growth over his three years at UHV, but none more than this season.
Parker saw his velocity top out at 96 MPH while posting a career-high 111 strikeouts. He and Jonathan Jones became just the second and third pitchers ever at UHV to eclipse 100 strikeouts this season.
He opened his junior campaign by throwing a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in the season opener against Wiley University.
"What helped my career the most at UHV was definitely the encouragement and trust coach Stav and Doug had in me," Parker said. "They always expected the best out of me no matter the circumstances."
Homegrown talent
Continuing to represent his hometown was a big selling point for Parker in his decision to come to UHV.
"The entire vibe of UHV is like it's home," Parker said. "I've told everyone who's ever came here or wanted to come here, 'You're going to love this place.' UHV is a one-of-a-kind place and I think it will only keep growing and continue to get better throughout the years."
In Stavinoha's eyes, Parker being drafted helps create a pathway for local baseball players to chase their Big League dreams in their own backyard.
"It allows the young kids here in Victoria to have somebody to look up to and say, 'Hey, I can do it,'" Stavinoha said. "They can play for their hometown team and take that all the way up to the professional level. It's really cool."