So far 2016 is turning out to be a great year for GateWay Community College’s baseball team. It was especially good for shortstop Isaac Parra, who finished playing his two year commitment to the college and was recently selected for the National Gold Glove Award.
Parra, who is a Tolleson High School graduate, was selected as the best shortstop in the Nation for Division II baseball. He has been training since he was three. You could say baseball runs in his blood. 
“My dad coached me all the way through high school,” says Parra. “He played Junior College in California and was drafted by the Phillies. He also played baseball in Mexico for two years.”
The Geckos were able to make it all the way to the NJCAA World Series in Enid, Okla., and ran undefeated for a large part of the bracket. They lost the final game to Jones County.
“We had a great chemistry this year,” says Parra. “We won a lot of games, and although we lost in the national championship, just getting there felt good.”
Parra was recently drafted by Angelo State University in San Angelo Texas where he will be playing baseball and finishing his bachelor’s degree. His focus will be on becoming an educator as a way of paying it forward.
“GateWay is a small school but with a big heart,” says Parra. “My experience at GateWay was phenomenal, the teachers are really helpful and if you need anything they would help you in a heartbeat.”
GateWay Community College has had its share of Gold Glove Award recipients. Last year, Billy Clapperton an outfielder from GateWay Community College was named as the National Gold Glove Award recipient and in 2013, Aaron Siple, also an outfielder, received the award.
"Isaac is a guy for whom hard work paid off,” says Rob Shabansky, Interim Athletic Director at GateWay Community College. “He started his career as an undersized shortstop and finished his career as a great player here at GateWay. He was the heartbeat of our team on and off the field."