Submitted photo – Eureka’s Jackson Giacone and Arcata’s Nick Parker were teammates with NorCal Baseball over the summer.

By Ray Hamill — A pair of Big 5 rivals became teammates and friends over the summer, as they got the opportunity to showcase their baseball talents at some big tournaments.

Arcata’s Nick Parker and Eureka’s Jackson Giacone, arguably the best two players in the Big 5 this coming year, both spent much of the past two months playing for NorCal Baseball, a highly-respected travel club based in the Fresno area.

The two Big 5 standouts traveled together for tournaments with one of the club’s four teams, including a three-week trip that featured week-long stops in Fresno, Louisiana and Arizona.

“It was a good experience,” Parker said. “We played against some really good pitching, some hard-throwing pitching, and we played on some good fields and against some good teams.”

The two seniors have been playing against each other for several years, including in high school, where each has been starting for their respective school’s varsity team since their freshman year.

But their friendship grew while traveling together over the summer.

“We always kind of knew each other, but this summer we hung out a lot more,” Parker said.

Giacone, who has already committed to play collegiately at Cal State Fullerton, has been playing with NorCal Baseball for the past three years.

And it was his familiarity with the club that led to Parker’s recruitment.

“He told me about it,” Parker said. “So I went to the tryouts and made the team.”

An exciting, albeit short, spring season saw Giacone and the Loggers crowned unofficial Big 5 champs, after they barely edged out Parker and the Tigers on the final day of the season.

Both teams are expected to be the frontrunners once again next spring, and Parker, who is part of a talented senior class of Arcata baseball players playing on varsity since their freshman year, likes his school’s chances this time around.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good chance to get first in league,” he said. “I want to see how good our team is. A lot of us have been playing together since our freshman year, and I think we’re pretty good this year.”

The Arcata standout — who is a force at the plate, defensively and on the mound — is not sure yet where he will play after graduation, but says he wants to continue to play the sport for as long as he can and that he has been talking to a few schools.

Playing for NorCal Baseball over the summer likely turned a few more heads for both Parker and Giacone, and the team has a reputation for sending players on to the top level in college.

“We’ve got a lot of D-I committed guys on our team,” said Parker, who feels his game has benefitted from the experience.

Both players will continue to play for NorCal this fall, with an upcoming tournament in Arizona as well as some scrimmages.

Parker says he also will be doing his best to prepare for the spring with plenty of trips to the batting cages and a limited fall season with the Humboldt Eagles, who are coached by Jackson’s uncle, Eric Giacone.