GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina sophomore Parker Byrd appeared in Friday's season-opening win against Rider with a prosthetic leg after having part of his right leg amputated following a 2022 boating accident.
The school said he is the first NCAA Division I athlete to play in a game with a prosthetic leg. Athletics spokesman Malcolm Gray said the Byrd family researched for any other examples. NCAA spokesman Greg Johnson said the organization doesn't track that type of record.
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Byrd, an in-state product from Laurinburg, walked to the plate in the eighth inning to a loud ovation from the home crowd. He took a first-pitch strike then drew four straight balls to reach base. The Pirates then had freshman Jason Janesko come on as a pinch runner.
“Chill bumps, man," Byrd said in his postgame interview with reporters. "It's absolutely phenomenal.”
Pirates coach Cliff Godwin told WCTI-TV based in New Bern that it was “one of the proudest moments I have ever had as a coach.”
“He’s going to get some more,” Godwin said. “But he's worked his tail off. It was super-emotional.
“The umpire behind home plate told me when I was making a change, he said he's been umpiring for 17, 18 years and it's the coolest moment he's ever been a part of. So he said he was tearing up back there, as I was, when he was running off the field.”
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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports