Cliff Godwin: Parker Caracci was 'awesome' this summer with Team USA
Parker Caracci went from third-year reliever looking for an Ole Miss roster spot to a member of the United States Collegiate National Team in a matter of months.
Mike Bianco called Caracci “the best story in college baseball” during the season, as the right-hander transitioned from relative unknown to a consensus All-America selection, leading Ole Miss to 48 wins while picking up nine of his 10 saves in Southeastern Conference play.
For the season, Caracci had 73 strikeouts and just 14 walks with a 2.25 ERA. He averaged 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings and excelled repeatedly in key moments.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri, who was the head coach of Team USA this summer, witnessed one of Caracci’s top moments, as he inherited two runners with no outs in the ninth inning of the deciding game against the Tigers. Caracci wiggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam for the 9-8 win.
The efforts in SEC play went a long way in helping Caracci earn a spot on Team USA.
“Obviously coach Mainieri has seen Parker firsthand and he loved that he had been in the fire and closed things out in crucial situations,” said East Carolina head coach Cliff Godwin who was an assistant with Team USA this summer and was the hitting coach at Ole Miss from 2012-2014. “He was awesome this summer. He kind of had to make the team, and he was excellent with this opportunity.”
[Related: Proud moments for Cindy Caracci]
Team USA went 12-3 with series wins over Chinese-Taipei, Japan and at Cuba. Caracci pitched 9.2 innings without allowing an earned run. He struck out eight with four walks.
“He did a good job with the slider,” Godwin said. “He threw it for strikes, and it was also a strikeout pitch. I know he always has the big fastball, but he used his slider more this summer than I think he did during the spring. It’s developing into a plus pitch that can be very dangerous.”
On the Fourth of July, Caracci threw 1.2 innings against Japan, stranding a runner at third with one out to help preserve a 1-0 win and even the series at a game apiece. Four days later Caracci threw 3.1 scoreless innings in the rubber match of the series. Japan led 3-0 at the time, but Caracci’s extending outing helped Team USA eventually win 7-6.
“He was at his best against Japan,” Godwin said. “If he doesn’t do those things then we don’t win the series. He was just huge. I’ve watched him on TV and seen that mentality. He’s not scared of the moment.
“It didn’t matter if it was Japan or Cuba he doesn’t get afraid and he wasn’t worried about the opponent. He showed all the right traits.”
Caracci, who didn’t make the active roster his first two seasons in Oxford, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 37th round of the MLB Draft in June but is returning for his redshirt junior season.