This fall, senior Parker Guthrie announced his commitment to play Division III baseball at Washington University in St. Louis. 

Guthrie is a three-year varsity letterman and has been playing since before he was in kindergarten. But he hasn’t always had love for the game. 

“My dad played college baseball and he introduced me to the game at an early age,” said Guthrie. “And to be honest, I didn’t really like it at first. But I always looked up to him and stuck with it to follow in his footsteps.”

Guthrie grew up playing basketball and volleyball to go along with baseball and found success in all of the sports he played. Basketball is a winter sport which never created conflictions for Guthrie, but problems arose because SLUH baseball and volleyball are in the same season. And he could only pick one. 

“I was really good at volleyball and my mom wanted me to keep playing,” said Guthrie. “But I fell in love with baseball right as high school started and the rest is history.” 

Guthrie found his niche in last year's loaded varsity dugout. He pitched in 15 games and had a 0.38 ERA. He also contributed as a third baseman and a batter, netting 16 runs and 11 RBIs last season. College baseball was the obvious next step for Guthrie. 

“I wanted to play D1, but I didn’t get the opportunity,” said Guthrie. “But I can’t complain how it turned out. Wash U is a really good school and has one of the best Division III programs in the country, and are constantly upgrading their facilities. It was the clear best fit for me.”

The Wash U Bears have won 8 National Championships in baseball in program history, so there was not much more to ask for when wanting to play at a school that also offers a world-class education. 

“While I did consider other options, Wash U wanted me to make a decision quickly after offering so I decided to take it,” said Guthrie. 

Guthrie is still undecided about what he wants to study, but he is interested in business.