Parker Violett has been a fixture around the Kaneland athletic program for years.
His mother, Cyndi, is the school’s girls volleyball coach who has totaled more than 300 career wins. His brother, Jacob, played baseball for the Knights and then a year at Judson.
“I’ve known Parker for a very long time,” Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. “I’ve watched him grow up.”
Parker has grown up into quite a hitter. The junior right fielder doubled twice Wednesday night in a 7-4 nonconference win over Batavia at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva.
Patrick Collins added two hits and two runs for Kaneland (18-12) and Zach Konrad had a pair of hits. Derek Campbell earned the pitching win in relief.
North Central College recruit Henry Saul drove in three runs for Batavia (14-16), including a two-run triple in the second inning.
The Bulldogs wanted to capitalize on the momentum of snapping a six-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over St. Charles North, but the Knights prevented that thanks to Violett.
“I would say he’s legit,” Collins said of Parker. “He has a strong bat. Powerful. And he has a presence. He’s a great teammate to have and he always has everybody smiling.
“That’s what you need. He does a great job having everyone else do theirs.”
For Violett, it was a tale of two doubles. The first one came in the third inning, and he was running so fast he accidentally knocked umpire Ben Cantrell to the ground racing to second.
The bases-loaded double in the fourth looked like it had the distance for a home run over the left field fence but fell short. There were no collisions with the umpire that time.
“I saw the ball, and at first thought it was maybe gone,” Violett said. “But then our coaches started yelling at me to run.”
The 6-foot-3 Violett has received postseason recognition from the Interstate Eight Conference in basketball the past two seasons, but baseball is his main sport.
As a freshman, he drove in nine runs in a varsity game for the Knights. After his sophomore year, he participated in the Top Tier Scout Day at the McCook Athletic & Exposition Center.
He recorded a top 99.6-mph exit velocity.
“I started playing T-ball at an early age — first or second grade,” Violett said. “My dad (Jeff) taught me how to play. He played at Upper Iowa. I also learned a lot watching my brother Jacob play.”
With the Class 3A playoffs starting next week, Kaneland picked a good time to get hot.
The Knights, who are 6-1 in their last seven games, also enjoyed the playoff-like atmosphere at the minor league stadium.
Both schools held senior night ceremonies before the game. Vocal student sections, plus the presence of youth league players in the crowd, created a vibrant atmosphere.
“It’s nice and big,” Violett said of the stadium. “A lot of people showed up. The kids were chanting everywhere. The field is big. The grass is nice. It was a great night.”
Aversa, the longtime coach of a strong Kaneland program that includes a Class 3A state championship in 2011, has loved watching Violett grow up as a player.
He’s happy he has another season with him after this one.
“He’s one of those kids who is going to surprise some people and be a player to watch next year,” Aversa said of Violett. “He’s been making some noise for us ever since he was a freshman, so we know what he’s capable of.
“Hopefully some more people will be finding out.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.