Senior shortstop MaTaia Lawson understands that a complete history book of Andrew softball does not exist. But as far as anybody knows …
The single-season record for home runs is 15, set by Keke Tholl in 2019. She missed the 2020 season due to the COVID outbreak before going on to a successful college career at Michigan.
As a junior, Lawson tied Tholl’s mark in her final game of the season, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning against Lockport in a Class 4A sectional semifinal.
Did it mean a lot to her? Lawson was quick to say yes. She was just as quick in explaining why.
“It meant a lot to me as an achievement,” Lawson said. “But it was also important to me to show my growth.”
Her legacy as a standout player has already been established. Where it goes from there for the Texas recruit during her senior season … well, the sky’s the limit.
Or at least as high as opposing pitchers are willing to let her soar.
Lawson, who leads off, has a .500 average with two home runs for the Thunderbolts (6-2). She has 12 hits with a whopping eight walks, including three intentional. She has a team-leading nine stolen bases while scoring 18 runs.
Needless to say, pitchers tend to get shy when Lawson comes to the plate. She has her own way of dealing with it.
“When they walk me, honestly, I’m fast,” Lawson said, smiling. “If you put me on base, I’ll steal.”
Smiling through the frustration. Finding another way. Making teammates better.
It’s a sign of growth that has Andrew coach Alyssa Gunther the most excited.
“It’s my favorite thing when I talk about her,” Gunther said. “MaTaia is such a skilled player and everybody knows that. But her leadership has seen a tremendous incline since sophomore year.
“She is so skilled, so talented in what she does on the field. She is playing with other people who are at a different level than her. It took her a little bit to learn how to coach her teammates. Now, she holds her teammates as accountable as much as she holds herself accountable.
“It’s like having another coach on the field. Her leadership is so much fun to watch, and an awesome thing to see.”
Lawson enrolled at Marist as a freshman. She didn’t play high school softball that spring, but instead concentrated on travel ball. The summer before, she took travel to a whole new level.
“Illinois’ thing was that you couldn’t play during COVID,’” Lawson said. “When I played for the Beverly Bandits and that team split up, a lot of them were from down south. One of my teammates’ dad texted mine and asked if I wanted to play for them.
“I was in George, Tennessee, Alabama — I was everywhere down south. It was then I realized that I was better than I thought I was. And I started putting more time into softball.”
Lawson transferred to Andrew for her sophomore year. New teammate Emma Scislowicz was the first to call her the “real deal.”
“I knew her and I played against her in 12U,” Scislowicz said of Lawson. “I was definitely excited when she came here. I couldn’t wait to see what she really was capable of doing for us.”
Lawson earned all-state honors as a sophomore, batting .589 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs. Last season, she upped her RBI total to 58 and joined Tholl as the program’s home run queen.
She has more than lived up to Scislowicz’s expectations.
“MaTaia’s performance, as you can tell, is pretty amazing,” Scislowicz said. “But she also brings a lot of positivity to the team. When there is drama, she always cuts it out. And she knows what’s right and what is not. She makes sure everybody is on their toes.”
The budding coach in Lawson, meanwhile, likes what she’s seeing.
“There is a lot of potential on this team,” Lawson said. “We’re all together right now. We’re connecting on and off the field. I think that can help us go really far.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
