January 18, 2007

NEW BERN—In the spring of 2005, the New Bern River Rats issued a call for families interested in hosting a college player during the upcoming summer baseball season.  The Parker family of New Bern—baseball fanatics, each of them—responded.  On Tuesday their player will return to New Bern to speak at the River’s Rats Hot Stove Dinner.  Now a professional pitcher, Andrew Cruse will talk about his time in New Bern, his experiences with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.  Instead of staying at any of the area’s finer hotels, Cruse will stay at the Parker’s house in the room the boys still refer to as “Andrew’s room.”

Across the country each summer, thousands of families open their homes to college baseball players who are playing summer ball away from home, family and friends.  These young men are playing for the enjoyment of the game, the chance to play against even harder competition, and the possibility of attracting the attention of major league scouts.

If everything goes well, the player will accomplish all of those goals—and one more.  As Cruse and the Parker family found out in 2005, these host family experiences can also be the foundation of a relationship that keeps growing long after the summer has gone.

Jan Parker, the Director of the Craven County Recreation Department, is a diehard baseball fan.  So is her husband, Jack Parker, the Commercial Sales Manager of Eastern Building Components and the River Rats’ team photographer.  Their two sons, Jackson, 12, and Jason, 9, have baseball in their blood.  No one in the family had to be convinced to apply to be a host family for the River Rats, Jan says.  “We knew we had an extra room in the house and it seemed like a great opportunity for the boys to learn more about college baseball.”

They were further delighted to be paired with Andrew Cruse, a University of South Carolina star pitcher.  Not only is South Carolina known for its top-notch college baseball team, but it turns out that head coach Ray Tanner was a college classmate of Jan Parker’s at North Carolina State University.  “She pretty much got Ray through college,” Jack adds.

When Cruse reported to the River Rats in June of 2005, he and the Parker family hit it off immediately.  Initially they didn’t see him much, due to the team’s heavy travel schedule.  “I remember we had a white message board on the way up to his room.  We’d leave him messages, and he would write back about how the game went,” Jan says.

As the summer continued, the Parkers got to know Andrew well.  “It was like a second family,” Jack says, noting that they got to know Andrew’s family when they came up to visit.  Jan thought her boys learned a lot, too.  “Now they know how much training and discipline is required to play baseball on a collegiate level.”

“I was skeptical at first, because it’s an awkward situation to move in with a family you have never met,” Cruse says.  “In a few short months, however, I got to know the family very well, from the Jackson and Jason to Grandma Parker,” he says, adding, “Grandma Parker would have us over for Sunday dinner and to this day I miss her great cooking.”

The experience in New Bern was a positive one for Cruse as well.  He was 2-3 with a 2.25 ERA with the River Rats and was subsequently was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the June 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.  He played last summer with the Batavia (NY) Muckdogs in the Class A New York-Penn League, where he compiled a 4-4 record with a 2.57 ERA in 13 starts.

Cruse says, “I have a special place in my heart for the whole Parker family and I think they were an integral part in helping me succeed in New Bern.”

The Parkers continued to stay in touch with Cruse after he returned to the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2005 and even made the trip to see him pitch the next spring.  They have a good relationship both with Cruse and his family.  Jack Parker says he and Cruse speak at least once a month and that the Parker family continues to keep up with his professional career.

It isn’t any surprise, then, that when Cruse returns to New Bern on Monday that he’ll stay at the Parker’s house, in the room they still call “Andrew’s room.”

RATS NOTES:  Baseball legend Harmon Killebrew will headline the 2^nd Annual New Bern River Rats Hot Stove Dinner and Auction at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 6:30 PM.  Tickets can be purchased by phone at (252) 675-5689 or in person at New Bern Tours located at 333 Middle Street in historic downtown New Bern.

About the River Rats:

The New Bern River Rats baseball club is a member of the Coastal Plain League, a high-profile wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league.  In 2007, the team will play its third season at New Bern High School’s Boykin Field.  The team’s official website is www.NewBernRiverRats.com.

About the Coastal Plain League:

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 10th anniversary season, the CPL is the largest summer league in the country, featuring 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL is certified by Major League Baseball, and gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.