Washington High grieves student with a heart for baseball
Parker Muhleman, pictured in a 2019 photo, had a love for life and baseball.
Parker Muhleman, pictured in 2019, was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, when his mother, Stephanie, was 18 weeks pregnant with him.
A Washington High School student whose love for life and baseball inspired many died Monday, leaving a void in hearts across the area.
Ninth-grader Parker Muhleman died Monday night following a scheduled heart surgery earlier that day. Parker suffered from an incurable congenital heart defect, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.
“This loss is incomprehensible, and this student’s death leaves us without words to express our grief or even attempt to understand this incredible loss,” Superintendent James Konrad wrote in a letter to the district’s students and parents. “As a school community, we extend our deepest condolences to this student’s parents and loved ones.”
Parker was the son of Stephanie and Dave Muhleman, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The youth endured multiple heart surgeries at a young age for the condition, which prevented blood from flowing normally through his heart. But he had a heart for baseball, so he played, and when he did, he gave it 100%, according to his Washington High baseball coach, Anthony Belcastro.
“He was very quiet, but when he participated in drills, his talent grabbed your attention,” Belcastro wrote in an email. “He gave 100% effort on every rep during practice and stood out for it among his peers. He was often the first to practice and never missed unless it was absolutely necessary. He wasn’t able to attend a game early in the season, but his dad sent me a picture of Parker in the car, watching from the parking lot with a pair of binoculars.”
Belcastro said that though Parker was one of the team’s smaller players, his skills were as good as any, and his hard work, on and off the field, earned him the respect of his teammates. He said that after the first week of practice, Parker’s parents shared with the team Parker’s story.
“Once they learned of his condition, I know he also won their hearts,” Belcastro said.
Parker visited college baseball teams across the region, inspiring them with his story.
“I am sure he left a mark on more people than he could ever imagine,” Belcastro said. “None of Parker’s coaches or teammates, past or present, will ever forget him.”
He certainly left an impact on the Washington & Jefferson College baseball team, after becoming an honorary member in fall 2019.
“It was the honor of my career here at W&J to have been able to know and play catch with Parker Muhleman,” team member Robert Heberle wrote in an email.
Heberle said the college ball culture can be very competitive and stressful – one bad play or practice “can really put you in a tough place.
“Parker changed all of that for me,” Heberle said.
The two of them played catch along the third base line before every game, Heberle said. To Heberle, it wasn’t just a warm-up.
“It was an opportunity to appreciate Parker’s presence and learn from him,” he said. “Any small thing I could teach him about baseball pales in comparison to the life lessons Parker taught me on those days throwing together. It didn’t matter if it was 25 degrees or 70, he was there with a positive outlook ready to throw and do what he could.”
Another team member, Michael Zito, said in an email that Parker took every chance he could to be at the W&J practices and games. Zito said they hope to dedicate the remainder of their season to Parker.
“Even with his condition, he never failed to look happy and thrilled to be at the ballpark,” Zito said. “He was an incredible kid and truly an inspiration to the whole team here at W&J.”
Tony Buccilli, general manager of the Washington Wild Things, said Parker and his family were fixtures at the games, always sitting behind the third base dugout.
“With Parker, there was a clear passion and love for the game of baseball,” Buccilli said. “That kid probably loved baseball more than the average young teenager. It’s definitely a devastating situation that must have impacted all those that he has touched in the baseball community.”
John Sacco, longtime friend of the family, said that along with baseball, Parker was an “exceptional golfer.”
“I’ve known him since he was a little guy,” Sacco said. “He overcame quite a bit in his life.”
At 8 years old, Parker participated in the Make A Wish program, and his wish was to attend a PGA Tour event at the Barclays in Paramus, N.J., in 2014, where he got to meet several pro golfers. The following year he got to bowl with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sacco said Parker never let his health condition “get in the way of anything he did in his life.
“That’s why he was such an inspiration to me and so many people,” Sacco said.
In his letter to the district, Konrad mentioned additional counselors being available at the junior/senior high school for any grieving students or staff members, as well as at Washington Park Elementary.
“When our school community experiences a tragedy, such as the loss of a young life, it impacts all of us,” he wrote in the letter. “My thoughts and prayers are with the students, their families and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”