The Power of Perspective: The Chloe Parks Story

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Chloe Parks wants to be a nurse.

In fact, that's one of the main reasons why she chose to play softball at Miami University.

"I really wanted to do nursing and this was the only school that said, 'We can make it happen. You could do it if you want to and put your mind to it. We're going to figure it out,'" Parks explained.

That's why a fan walking past the Miami Softball Stadium last fall might have seen Parks arriving to the field only a minute or two ahead of the RedHawks' 4 p.m. practice.

Or why the infielder from Indianapolis, Ind. was lugging three bags along with her as she hurried to the field. Chloe Parks

"One bag is for school, one is for softball, and one is the lunchbox," Parks laughed. "That's what gets you through nursing with softball: Lots of snacks in the lunchbox!"

Parks' balancing act as a student-athlete nursing major involves many long days of clinicals. During the offseason, that's not easy. During the spring season, it's nearly impossible. For instance, this second semester of her senior year requires 120 hours in the hospital, to say nothing of the RedHawks' 54-game schedule.

But Parks is determined to make it work. "I'm pretty sure I'm just going to go every off day we have and knock them out – 12-hour shifts," she shrugged.

"It's difficult but doable. I'm not nervous about it; I know I can do it."

"With her class schedule and clinical hours and working around that, she never once complains about being tired or having to get up before everybody else to get extra work in," head coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate said. "Literally running from clinicals all day straight to practice, catching up on her warmup, and then jumping right in: She does it so flawlessly.

"I don't think people really understand the extent of her true schedule…she's on her feet all day. There are days where she's like, 'I have class until 3:55,' and we have practice at 4, and she's there at 4.

"I'm like, 'Did you just teleport here? It's crazy!'"

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Parks' passion for pursuing a career in nursing has been a constant in her life since seventh grade. That's when Parks' mother, Stephanie, passed away from cancer at the age of 38.

"The first time she was diagnosed, I was in third or fourth grade and a little too young to understand what was going on," Parks recalled. "All I knew was that Mom was sick.

Chloe and Stephanie Parks *(photos courtesy of Chloe Parks)*

"Then she relapsed again in the summer going into my seventh-grade year. It all just escalated really quickly, and she ended up passing away the following April…

"That time I was old enough to remember more of it and see the hospital setting. There was nothing I could really do to help her. So my whole thing was, after her, I needed to go help people in any way I could…

"I was either going to be a doctor or a nurse; I needed to do something to get out there and help people, and especially people with families. Because I know how much my relationships meant with those nurses that she had."

Parks described her mother as caring, competitive, loving, fun and 'the light entering a room.' As she looks forward to joining the workforce as a nurse in the not-too-distant future, Parks hopes to display some of those same traits to the patients and families she serves.

"I want to be calm, and I want to be like a light when I walk in the room too…I think I really do want to be [like] my mom at the bedside," Parks smiled. "I want to walk in and make people feel like, 'I'm here for you.'

"At the end of the day, I'm here to help you. I don't want to stress you out. I want to be calm and help you with anything you need help with. But I also want to keep it a little fun."

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"Life is going to throw you that curve ball. It's about how you react."

On the softball diamond, Parks tries to approach the game she loves with the same perspective she learned from her mother. Chloe Parks

"Everything can be a lesson, and everything can be fun," she said. "I always say, 'I'm going to make her proud,' because I know for a fact if I had a bad at-bat and she was up in the stands, she wouldn't be [saying], 'Oh, that was terrible.'

"She would have been like, 'I love you. You're good. Get back out there!'

"As a person, it's shaped me to just have fun. That's all life's about: Have fun. Embrace the moment. Be there for the people you love…

"If you're fun and you're focused, there's nothing that can stop you."

To be fair, there haven't been that many bad at-bats for Parks during her first three seasons in Oxford. An NFCA All-Region and Second-Team All-MAC pick in 2022, she owns a career .321 batting average in 161 appearances, including the second-highest mark on the ballclub as a freshman at .348. And the RedHawks have posted a ridiculous .734 winning percentage over that span (128-46-1), going 3-for-3 in regular-season titles, MAC tournament championships and NCAA appearances.

Still, it's possible that Parks (who ranks fifth in program history for career triples) has been taken for granted somewhat across the conference and the national softball landscape, hiding in plain sight as part of a 2024 lineup that boasted seven hitters with 14 or more home runs. She finished 18th in the MAC in batting last season but wasn't recognized among Miami's eight First-Team All-MAC picks.

"She has always been a staple at second base," Gardner-Colegate said. "Her fielding percentage has been strong; her batting average has been strong. Extra-base hits, a good eye at the plate…but she's so quiet about it. She's just consistent and not flashy, so she gets forgotten about on the outside, which is crazy.

Chloe Parks

"Our team knows that she's a huge piece."

And as Miami Softball begins a new era with a first-year head coach and plenty of new faces up and down the roster, Parks' approach and personality have been crucial in helping bond the 2025 RedHawks together ahead of the season opener Friday in Tempe, Ariz.

"She's been a bridge for our newcomers," Gardner-Colegate said. "When we talk to them, they always mention Chloe…she's built really good relationships with every single one of her teammates.

"They go to her for a lot, I know – and she's probably our busiest senior, but she balances that too. She does it so gracefully, balancing all aspects of her life…

"Being able to understand people and going through experiences [helps] you relate to people. What she's gone through has obviously made her who she is."

According to Parks, there are a lot of similarities between being a good teammate and being a good nurse.

"I think having all these [new] people come in, it's so important to get them comfortable. Let them know, 'I am here for you, but we're going to push to new limits.' To be as successful as we want to be, you can't be comfortable…

"'Know that I love you and I'm here for you. Know that you belong here, because you do.

"But let's get to work."

The Red and White will play a challenging schedule this spring, with 14 games against Power Four opponents (including all five this weekend in Arizona) and seven total games against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.

But Parks and the RedHawks are up for the challenge. Chloe Parks

"I think we are capable of everything that we set our minds to," Parks said. "We have the same goals and standards we've always had…it's the same Miami Softball.

"We're still going to compete and be out there and push the limits and make teams uncomfortable with what we have. We're going to prove everyone wrong; we've still got a lot in the tank.

"And I'm really excited to get out on the field with this team."

Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures

Miami Softball gets the season underway this weekend with five games at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., beginning with a 6:30 p.m. ET contest against Maryland on Friday, Feb. 7. The RedHawks' home opener is one month away (March 7 vs. Michigan State), and the complete 2025 schedule is available here.

The Power of Perspective: The Chloe Parks Story

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Chloe Parks

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