By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Cameron Padgett is thankful for each day he can pitch for Carolina, knowing it can be taken away at any moment.
The 6–3 sophomore right-hander has a tattoo on his pitching arm reading “Fighter” as a tribute to a close friend and longtime teammate on showcase baseball teams who knows that all too well.
East Carolina sophomore Parker Byrd got into a boating accident in 2022 and, after more than 20 surgeries, had his right leg amputated.
“It’s hard seeing somebody who does everything right and something so tragic like that happened going into his freshman year of college,” said Padgett, who played his high school ball at East Rowan High School. “Arguably being a guy that probably would have started for the Pirates as a true freshman.”
After missing his freshman season, the former Third Team All-State shortstop at Scotland High School, using a prosthetic leg, miraculously has three plate appearances this season.
Byrd made his college debut in the eighth inning of the Pirates’ Feb. 16 game against Rider as a pinch hitter, likely becoming the first Division I baseball player to play with a prosthetic leg. He drew a walk and thunderous cheers as he made his way to first base before being lifted for a pinch runner.
“As sad as it is, obviously for somebody that should not have happened to, I think it’s a big learning lesson,” Padgett said. “He’s taken it better than anybody that I can imagine. To be honest, I can’t say that I would handle it as well as he does. Just being able to realize that not everybody has the opportunity to do that and kind of make the most of it.”
The second and third letters of “Fighter” double as the number 16 — Byrd’s jersey number — and that was on Padgett’s arm Tuesday when he pitched a career-high 5+ innings in the Tar Heels’ 13–1 6½-inning 10-run-rule win over Charlotte to get the win.
“It’s just a tribute to him, just being able to understand that I’m lucky that I haven’t been put in a situation where a game or my time on the field has been taken away from me,” Padgett said. “Everyone’s praying for him. And, obviously, he’s getting it back and moving. I put him on my arm because I felt like it meant a lot to me. That’s my brother.”
The whole experience, from when Padgett heard that his friend was in the hospital to watching Byrd battle to get to the batter’s box for East Carolina, has given Padgett a perspective that few 19-year-olds have.
“You’ve just got to appreciate every day and really get after it because you never know,” Padgett said. “You could wake up tomorrow, and something could happen; you could get in a car accident tomorrow. You never know. So, it just puts it into perspective that you’ve got to go out every day and give it your all and have fun. You can’t think about tomorrow.”
When Padgett returns to the mound for the Tar Heels, he’s proud that the tribute to his resilient friend will also be there.
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics by Ainsley Fauth
tarheeltribune.com 
