Parker Dunaway had concerns.
But as much as Dunaway wanted to have a junior season to remember, he didn’t want to disappoint his teammates on the Heritage Academy baseball team.
Dunaway also didn’t want his track and field efforts to suffer, either, but he still wasn’t sure how he would fare returning from an elbow injury.
Between recovering from that injury, practicing with the baseball team, and training for the long jump and triple jump with the school’s track and field team, Dunaway hasn’t missed a step.
Last week, Dunaway showed he is close to being back to where he wants to be when he won the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 5 inches and the triple jump (40-11) at the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA North State meet at Washington School.
Dunaway also played a key role for the baseball team in wins against Washington School. On Tuesday, Dunaway went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in an 8-4 victory. He pitched the final 1 2/3 innings in relief of Hunter Ward to get the save. On Thursday, he was 1-for-4 with an RBI in an 11-1 victory.
For his accomplishments, Dunaway is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“You always have to be confident that you’re the best at what you do,” Dunaway said. “I had to be confident or I wouldn’t have been able to succeed (at the track meet).”
Dunaway fell on his left elbow and dislocated it at boys basketball practice late in the year. The injury forced him to miss the end of that season and about half of the baseball team’s season. He still wears a brace on the elbow to help keep him from overextending it and popping back out again.
Dunaway said he could do running and keep his legs in shape while he waited to get cleared. The injury prevented him from training in the long jump because something could have happened if he fell back onto the elbow after landing in the pit.
“I thought it would set me back a little bit, but I was just kind of curious to see what would happen,” Dunaway said. “It was OK (the first meets he competed in after being cleared). My elbow didn’t really affect me that much. It was always there in the back of my mind, but I was able to do what I needed to do to get myself better.”
In baseball, Dunaway started slowly, getting at-bats knowing he wasn’t going to be able to swing the bat. He also worked his pitching into form at the junior varsity level before he took the step up to the varsity. He has played a key role in helping the Patriots (18-12) earn a spot in the MAIS Class AAA, Division II semifinals. Heritage Academy will play host to Starkville Academy at 6 tonight in game one of the best-of-three series.
“Getting Parker Dunaway back has been huge for us,” Heritage Academy coach Bruce Branch said. “He was a no-brainer to put in the No. 2 spot in our lineup.”
Dunaway said he was surprised by how he did at the North State meet considering what he has overcome to get to this point.
“I went out there and competed as hard as I could, and luckily, I was able to win,” Dunaway said. “I think I did well. I thought I would be kind of weaker not having worked out so much, but I was kind of surprised how it worked out.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
