
Parker Hanson has lived his whole life without a left hand, so he's used to the questions. They're far better than the stares — enough so that he says, "I enjoy talking about it. I don't want people to be scared to ask about it."
He's so used to the challenge of playing baseball with one hand — first while growing up in Hawley, Minn., then at Dakota County Technical College and now at the University of Minnesota-Crookston — that he doesn't even think about it when he's on the mound. The sturdy 6-1 right-hander holds the glove on his left arm while he throws, then seamlessly transfers it to his right hand after delivering the pitch.
Still, opponents will test him; the first batter he faced in his UMC career last weekend bunted. He was quickly thrown out at first.
"Guys are going to try to challenge him," Golden Eagles head coach Steve Gust said. "As I coach, I would encourage that because Parker is up for challenges."
Being born without a left hand? Hanson was still playing baseball by age 2, encouraged by his mom, stepdad and older brothers. "They gave me all the resources to succeed," he said.
Getting left off a fifth-grade traveling team in large part because of having one hand? "That kind of hurt and was a setback for me," Hanson said. "It made me feel like I wasn't a solid enough player. But I stuck with it and used it as motivation."
Pitching in high school at Hawley — a town of 2,000 people located about 20 miles east of Fargo, N.D. and not exactly a hotbed for baseball recruiting? "I had the mindset of going to junior college all the way," Hanson said. "I wanted to give myself two more years to prove myself."
Getting a two-year degree at Dakota County Technical College in just one year, in part because of his high school academic success and in part because he was losing his passion for baseball while playing there? "I was contemplating giving up. But right when I was at the lowest point, Coach Gust called me and gave me some confidence. I got the desire for baseball back in my blood. It was the middle of July by the time I committed (to UM-Crookston)."