CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A father and daughter share a bond that extends to the field.
One is a longtime Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders Baseball coach. The other is just beginning her high school softball career.
As a high school player who gets to practice against Division I college players, it provides a unique opportunity for her to improve her skills.
"It makes her nervous, but it makes her better, you know, and it brings out the best in her, it makes her play faster," Islanders Baseball Head Coach Scott Malone said.
Malone has been in his role for 17 years. His daughter Parker, a 14-year-old freshman at Veterans Memorial High School, plays second base for Eagles Softball. She said she learns from watching athletes at the Division I level make mistakes and bounce back from it.
"It definitely helps me with the pressure, like, when I see them mess up," Parker Malone said. "It's like, oh, well if they can mess up, like, it's not so crazy if I mess up in the game, and I think it just helps, like, me just know, like, play your best."
Parker works out and practices with the Islanders, which Scott said makes her a better competitor against the best players that she faces. He said his team's comradery on the field and beyond helps her understand how to best represent herself and school. She explained how she learned that playing at Vets Memorial so far.
"The way the teammates can bring you up, the way, like, the game isn't just about yourself," Parker Malone said. "It's not just about the stats, like, everyone wants everyone to do good, and I think the way we've been winning, it's just really fun."
"She understands it's about the work, and I think that's probably the biggest thing is just showing up every day, playing hard, being a good leader, being a good teammate," Scott Malone said.
Scott also brings a new perspective as Parker's father with his experience as a baseball coach. He said he does not care about how many hits she gets or if she is the best player on the team. Instead, he focuses on the effort she puts into the game.
"My expectation is for her to do it right," Scott Malone said. "To run fast, to play hard, to not walk on the field. Those expectations, they don't break, and I don't let her off the hook."
Scott said he can also support Parker when bad games happen since he has seen many talented players also have an off game. Even when she makes a mistake, Parker said softball taught her to always keep going.