‘Why not me’: How ECU’s Parker Byrd returned to baseball with a prosthetic leg [Video]

It was the eighth inning of East Carolina’s opening game on the evening of Feb. 16, 2024. The crowd in Clark-LeClair stadium stirred at the sight of Parker Byrd walking to the on-deck circle.

Parker was never allowed a walk-up song when he played high school baseball. Following his commitment to ECU baseball in ninth grade, choosing this anthem was a decision that consumed him. He loved rap music. But also liked the idea of the crowd favorite, “Footloose.” 

By his collegiate debut, though, Parker’s walk-up song held a deeper meaning. By then, it had been almost two years since Parker — the second-best shortstop in North Carolina in 2022 (via Perfect Game) — had faced live pitching in a game. 

It had also been almost two years since Parker was involved in a life-altering boating accident.

“It was just surreal, seeing everything he has worked for, that we’ve sacrificed as a family,” Mitzi Byrd, Parker’s mother, said. Mitzi wiped her …