By Ken Hansard
Hutchinson senior Landon Parks understands how special it is to play with teammates year in and year out. He recognizes that there is a unique connection that is established when players band together for a common goal. That is because Parks is one of several seniors who are taking the diamond for their final season with the Salthawks, “We are very close and have such a tight bond. We’re more than just teammates; we’re brothers.”
Parks, who plays outfield, first base, and pitcher for the Salthawks, hit over .300 last season and was awarded Second-Team All-AVCTL (Division I). It is his versatility that really makes him valuable to his team, “I’m one of those guys who is able to play more than one position, which really benefits my pitchers.”
Even though he hit for a great average last spring, Landon, like most driven athletes, spent a lot of time in the cages during the off-season retooling and refining his swing, “I worked hard on fixing my swing path and keeping my head inside the baseball.”
If Landon and his teammates can improve in any way on last year’s performances, they should have a solid chance to make a deep run in the postseason. They finished last year 18-10, losing to Salina Central in the regional championship. They started this season by splitting a doubleheader with Pratt. Parks personally welcomes the challenges ahead of them, “We play a lot of good competition, and we just need to worry about staying focused. I want to play the best so we can be the best.”
Ultimately, Parks wants to be sure that his focus is on the journey ahead and not necessarily the destination, “I really fell in love with sports because both my parents introduced me to sports. My primary goal for myself is just to try to succeed when I get my opportunities. In the end, I’m really looking forward to playing with my favorite team one last time and trying to go win a state championship.”
Landon is still contemplating his plans for after graduation, but he would like to continue his education collegiately.
