Already a star, Sherwood sophomore Connor Parry has only scratched the surface of his immense potential on the baseball diamond

By Dan Brood 

Right after Sherwood junior Parker Fabrycki threw strike three to get the third out in the top of the seventh inning, Bowmen sophomore Connor Parry, playing first base, got a smile, did a fist pump and began running toward the mound to celebrate with his teammates. 

It was another win for the Bowmen, who stayed undefeated in Pacific Conference baseball with their 5-3 home victory over Glencoe in a game played at Sherwood High School. 

The 6-foot-3 Parry, along with his Bowmen teammates, were pretty happy with the key conference victory.

Actually, Parry, who fills plenty of roles for the Bowmen squad — pitcher, first baseman, key hitter — has plenty to be happy about these days, especially playing baseball at Sherwood.

“It’s been awesome,” Parry said following that victory May 3. “I wouldn’t rather do anything but be on a baseball field with my friends.”

The Bowmen are likely happy he’s there, as well, as the sophomore, who seems to be a very positive and supportive teammate, has already accomplished a lot (with likely more to come) on the baseball diamond.

He’s already proven to be a key player with his glove, bat and arm, he’s already received a Division I college offer and, maybe most impressive of all, he’s already pitched a perfect game.

But maybe even just as important, the talented Parry seems to have the respect and trust of his teammates and coaches.

“The dude plays with heart,” said Sherwood junior Nolan Umlandt, who is the ace of the Bowmen pitching staff. “He leaves it all out there, and that’s all we ask for. He’s filling a lot of big roles for us right now.”

“He’s just a great kid,” Sherwood coach Nate Hickok said of Parry. “He’s a special athlete, but I think the big thing is that he’s the kind of kid you want to root for. He represents our program incredibly well, whether it’s in-season or out of season. He’s a foundational piece for our program.”

That foundational piece of the Bowmen program, with a bright future and a perfect game already under his belt, is enjoying every moment of his sophomore season.

“It’s been pretty good. The team is great. All of the guys have great chemistry. We’re having success. We’re perfect in league so far, and we want to keep that going,” Parry said. “I feel that all the guys are close. I also felt that last year. I think that everyone had bought into our culture. Everyone is just showing up every day and putting it all out there.”

Baseball and the Bowmen

Baseball has been special, very special, to Parry for a long time.

“I’ve been playing ever since I was young, from T-ball on up. I just fell in love with the game,” he said. “I love the competitiveness, how you have to come out and bring it for all seven innings. And it’s not just one person doing the whole thing. It’s a team sport.”

What makes baseball even more special, at least for Parry, is playing it in Sherwood.

“It’s where I grew up. I’ve been here since first grade,” Parry said of Bowmen Country. “The community, it’s awesome. There’s a lot of support here.”

Parry earned a spot on the Sherwood varsity baseball roster as a freshman, and he helped the Bowmen go 24-6 and reach the quarterfinal round of the Class 6A state playoffs while earning all-Pacific Conference honorable mention accolades as a pitcher.

But to listen to Parry, the big thing of his freshman season was the honor of being part of the Sherwood tradition of success.

“It’s just holding the legacy,” he said. “One of my big mentors was Ian Umlandt (a 2022 Sherwood graduate who now pitches for the University of Oregon). He kind of took me under his wing last year, when I was a freshman, and showed me how to be a leader and what the expectations are. I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

After showing plenty of promise as a freshman, Parry has lifted his game even more this year, helping lead the way for a Bowmen team that has won 19 consecutive games and sits at 17-0 in Pacific Conference play and 22-3 overall.

“The season has been awesome,” Nolan Umlandt said. “We started off kind of slow. I think we started off 4-3, but we really picked it up. We went 2-1 in Arizona, which was big for us, and when we got back, I don’t think we’ve lost. Conference play has been awesome. We’re bringing it every week. We’re having fun, and hard work has been paying off for our guys.”

Parry is a big part of that fun, hard work and success.

Through May 8, he had a 3-0 win-loss record with one save. In 28 and one-third innings, he had allowed just 13 hits while striking out 38 batters and walking 10. He had an earned-run average of 0.74.

“I’m a ‘I’ll try to blow it by you,’ type of guy,” Parry said of his pitching style. “If I can challenge you, I will. But I’ll also use the slider and changeup, trying to keep hitters off balance. I try to mix it up.”

His biggest improvement might be with the bat. He’s hitting for a .356 average, with an on-base percentage of .494 and a slugging percentage of .559, with two home runs, six doubles, 11 walks, six hit-by-pitch and 19 RBIs.

That’s come with hard work — even when he’s busy with another sport.

“This year, I played basketball, too, and I’d get in and hit in the cage after practice, trying to get going and ramp it up, and that was helpful,” Parry said. “I probably hit .200 last year, so there was a good increase this year. For sure, I think it will keep getting better.”

Hickok has seen the improvement, and he sees even more coming in the future.

“Last year, you could see the potential,” Hickok said. “This year, he’s filled into his body a bit, and he’s more confident. He’s becoming a dude. He’s going to be one of the better kids in the state.”

“He works really hard,” Umlandt said. “He’s such a hard worker. He had a big role last year, and he’s got a bigger role this year.”

Finding perfection

While Parry has had plenty of highlights, it would certainly be hard to top the one he had April 19. That’s when he pitched a perfect game for the Bowmen in a 3-0 win against Century in a Pacific Conference game at Ron Tonkin Stadium — home of the Hillsboro Hops.

“My whole life, I wanted to throw one,” Parry said as he thought back about the game. “It’s been a dream of mine. Couldn’t have picked a better place to do it.”

Parry struck out 13 while, of course, walking none. He needed 89 pitches to get through the game, with 63 of those pitches being for strikes.

“I had great fastball command, and my slider was pretty sharp,” Parry said. “I was able to keep hitters off balance.”

“That was incredible,” Hickok said of the performance. “He got a lot of help defensively. Our guys made some big plays behind him that kept it going. And once he got to that fourth or fifth inning, he knew what was happening. He started getting a little nervous, but I think that also brought up some more competitiveness in him, and he really wanted it.”

Parry was quick to give credit to the Bowmen defense behind him.

“It was such a team performance,” he said. “In a perfect game, you think of one dude, but it was our whole team. Nolan Umlandt, our shortstop, made a great play in the second inning. And Nick Gribble made a diving catch in the outfield in the sixth inning to save the perfect game. I owe it all to my teammates.” 

Parry knew somewhat early in the game that he might have something special going.

“I would say about the third inning, and then the fifth inning, it became more of a reality,” he said. “That’s when the nerves started to hit. In the seventh inning, on the mound, my legs were shaking a little bit. It was just all adrenaline at that point.”

Hickok had just one concern at that point.

“I’m always tracking him on my chart, and when we got to the fifth inning, I was like, ‘OK, let’s see how this goes.’ My biggest concern was the pitch count,” he said. “The batter he was on at the end was going to be his last one, regardless. He was able to finish with 89 pitches, which was incredible.”

The last batter Parry faced was a familiar face.

“The final out was actually against a buddy of mine (Century junior Eli Breault) who I play club ball with and I’m pretty good friends with,” Parry said.

The first two pitches were swinging strikes.

“I went up 0-2. Adrenaline was really going then,” Parry said. “I reached back and pumped in a fastball for the final strike. I then watched everyone clear the dugout and start that dogpile.”

So, what were the first emotions after that final strike?

“It was an unreal feeling,” Parry said. “It was crazy happiness. I can remember throwing my hat, holding up my hands, and everyone just came charging. It was something I’ll never forget.”

“It was fun,” Hickok said. “It was cool to see him have that success, with the guys backing him up, but also the bench guys were all over him. It was a lot of fun.”

Baseball in his blood

Parry just might have been born to play baseball.

After all, his grandfather is Scott Carnahan, who was a longtime Linfield University baseball coach and athletic director.

During his 26 seasons as Linfield’s baseball coach, Carnahan’s Wildcats teams won 12 Northwest Conference championships and finished second six times. He’s the winningest coach in Linfield history with 617 victories. Carnahan was tabbed the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year 11 times, and he is a member of the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame.

“He’s a Linfield great,” Parry proudly said of his grandfather.

That Linfield great has played a big part in Parry becoming the baseball player that he is.

“He’s always been one of my biggest supporters, since Day 1,” Parry said. “He’s been working with me, and he knows a lot about the game. He’s worked with me with my pitching. He’s been doing that since I was in first grade. He taught me my first curveball.”

Grandson and grandfather still connect after every contest.

“It’s awesome,” Parry said. “He texts me after every game, and it always starts out with, ‘Nice job,’ and then something to work on, and it always ends with, ‘Love you,’ and a nice note.”

What did grandpa have to say after the perfect game?

“He kept it really short and sweet,” Parry said. “He just said, ‘Outstanding performance.’ It was just a short text. But when I got home, my mom told me he was crying on the phone with her. So, it was pretty emotional.”

There have also been others who have influenced Parry in a big way.

“My dad (Louis Parry), for sure,” he said. “He’d always get me out on the field. I’d drag him out there to throw me (batting practice). We’d talk about the game at home. He’d always just be in my ear.”

Also, playing varsity basketball this season (helping the Bowmen win the Pacific Conference title at 12-0, while going 19-7 on the season), Parry points to someone else.

“I loved it. Rahim Tufts, our coach, he’s one of the biggest mentors in my life,” Parry said. “He does such a great job connecting with the youth here. He’s built our relationship up, ever since I was young. I know him on a personal level.”

And, of course, there’s the Sherwood baseball team.

“All the guys and coaches here are awesome,” Parry said. “(Hickok) puts in a lot of hours here that aren’t always seen. He’s not the loudest, but he’s had huge impact on us and on my baseball career.”

A bright future

When you ask anyone about Parry’s potential and future in baseball, the answer is pretty much unanimous — it’s bright, and it’s going to continue at the next level.

“Division I baseball, absolutely,” Umlandt said. “I don’t know where. I don’t know where he wants to go, but I know he’ll get picked up quick, because he’s a big-time guy.”

“He’s going to be a D-I baseball player,” Hickok said. “I think the potential is more on the mound, but he’s just really, really special. And he’s still far from reaching his full potential. I’m really excited to see how he develops. And, again, he’s just a great kid to root for. He’s a great kid.”

Parry has already received one Division I offer.

“I got an offer from the University of Portland,” Parry said. “I’d say that happened two weeks ago. I’ve been talking to (University of Portland assistant coach and former Tualatin baseball standout) Trey Watt. He’s an awesome guy. Hick kind of set me up to talk with him.”

It wasn’t long after that talk that Parry got the offer.

“I was laying in my bed when I got the text from Hick that they were going to offer me,” Parry said. “I couldn’t even describe the feeling. All your life, that’s what you want, and it’s what you dream about when you’re a kid. And it became a reality.”

Still, his main focus right now is this season, doing whatever he can to help the red-hot Bowmen squad.

“The goal is a deep playoff run and to finish league perfect,” he said. That’s our goal.”

Beyond that, Parry, who has already pitched a perfect game and has already received a Division I baseball offer, is looking for even bigger and better things ahead.

“Only up, hopefully,” he said with a smile. “This is just the beginning.”