Jimmy Parque did not want his senior season to end without a trip to the NCAA baseball tournament, and possibly the College World Series.
A loss last Thursday against Louisville — winner of the Big East Conference during the regular season — would have put the Red Storm on the brink of elimination from the Big East Tournament, but Parque wasn’t about to let that happen.
In St. John’s 6-5 win over the Cardinals, the Red Storm were down 4-2 in the seventh inning when the right fielder hit a home run to close the gap to 4-3. He followed that with a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth to give the Red Storm a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“When we were down 4-2, there was still a lot of ballgame left,” Parque said. “I knew the way we were swinging the bats we could come back. Once we came back, I was like, ‘We might be able to win this tournament.’ ”
Parque led St. John’s to its third NCAA tournament appearance in the past four years. The Red Storm, who will face Mississippi tonight in the first game of the Charlottesville Regional, haven’t advanced to the College World Series since 1980. Nevertheless, St. John’s, winners of three straight against Top-25 teams, are a confident bunch.
“We started to play some good ball the last couple of weeks, and winning the Big East Tournament was awesome. Getting a berth in the regional is awesome,” Parque said. “I think the way we’re playing right now, we could get past the regional.”
Parque has started all 58 games for the Red Storm (40-18), and is batting .352 with four home runs and 44 RBIs. He is considered to be a high draft pick in next week’s amateur draft. This will be his second time in the draft, as the Dodgers selected him in the 40th round back in 2008, but Parque chose to attend college.
“I got drafted by the Dodgers in ’08, and I wanted to come to school,” he said. “I definitely don’t regret my decision. I think I’m more mature now. I got some more experience and learned a lot more. I think college baseball is like nothing else, it is awesome.”
St. John’s is glad Parque passed on the majors two years ago. Last season, he hit five home runs, drove in 61 runs, and batted .360.
Though Parque’s focus is 100 percent on the team, he knows scouts will be watching him tonight, but that doesn’t phase the 21-year-old.
“When I’m out there, I really don’t notice the scouts in the stands or the cameras,” he said. “It’s just like you’re playing baseball, and personally I don’t really even see it when I’m out there on the field.”
Parque might not notice the scouts, but they definitely have noticed him.
