Former ECU Baseball Star Debuts For Baltimore Orioles
For former East Carolina University Pirate baseball standout Connor Norby, Sunday was a big day. For starters, he made his first trip outside the United States in his life, to Toronto Canada. Secondly, the reason for the trip is that Connor Norby has been called up from Triple A Norfolk, to make his Major League Baseball debut for the Baltimore Orioles.
And it’s not like this was some emergency move due to injury or out of great necessity. To say that Connor Norby doesn’t deserve this battlefield promotion would be to ignore how much he’s been killing it in the minor leagues. According to WITN, in 51 games this season Norby is hitting .286 with 9 home runs, 17 doubles, and 36 RBI. He was part of their Norfolk (AAA) championship team last season and hit .290 with 21 homers and 92 RBI. The 23-year-old Norby is considered the Orioles top prospect.
I can only imagine the unbelievable thrill being felt by both Connor and his family. I mean from the moment a little boy puts on a glove for the first time and plays his first game of catch, he’s dreaming of playing in the major leagues. I think about all the countless games and practices his parents drove him to. For everyone involved in Connor Norby’s life, the feeling of reaching the top of the mountain has to be amazingly fulfilling.
So how did Norby’s major league debut go? Was it something out of a Hollywood script? Did he hit a grand slam in his first at-bat leading the Baltimore Orioles to an unexpected victory? Hardly. Connor Norby’s first major league game will not be memorable for anyone but him and his family. The 23-year-old started at second base against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. He was 0-3 at the plate with 2 strikeouts.
