Russell County Senior Nathan Lawson signed to play baseball at Eastern Kentucky University during an official signing ceremony on Monday at RCHS.
Lawson committed to EKU last year as a junior.
“I’ve been working for a long time to be able to play at the next level, and a time came last year when they reached out to me and gave a really good offer,” Lawson said. “I thought about it for a long time and decided that was where I wanted to play.”
Lawson said the difference was the coaching staff at EKU.
“The coaches really loved me and talked to me almost every day,” Lawson said. “They talked about how they were remodeling their field, asked me how I was doing with my game, and I just fell in love with the program.”
Last season, Lawson finished with a 7-1 record on the mound for the Lakers, pitching 64 2/3 innings while striking out 91 and giving up 18 earned runs for a 1.95 ERA.
At the plate, Lawson led the team with 50 hits and 53 RBI, along with a team-leading 9 home runs.
Russell County Laker Baseball Coach David Rexroat had high praise for Lawson.
“I’m obviously very proud of Nathan,” Rexroat said. “And I just commend all the people who helped him get to this point. Whether parents, grandparents, youth league coaches, and all those people. It takes an army sometimes. A lot of people make commitments, so Nathan should be very proud of the people who got him here.
But Nathan has been so good for us at Russell County for three years with another season coming up. Last year, we were 30-7 and he was a big part of that. We expect him to have another big year. He’s one of the top players in the state, so we’re really proud to have him and the team around him. The future looks bright for Nathan and with his work ethic, I think he can contribute right off the bat at Eastern Kentucky.”
Assistant Coach Rob Clark also had high praise for Lawson.
“I’m really proud of Nathan and what he’s accomplished so far,” Clark said. “He’s always been one of the top players in the area and we’re so excited for him to sign with Eastern Kentucky. They’re getting a kid that is going to come in and compete for Eastern Kentucky and work hard.”
“Nathan is another in-state student-athlete who chose EKU as his home,” EKU Assistant Coach Walt Jones said. “He is a true competitor on the mound that has shown the ability to really pitch. He commands three pitches for strikes while running his fastball up to 90 mph. Nathan will be in the mix to be an impact guy when he steps on campus.”
As the upcoming high school season nears, Lawson said he is aiming to be a contender for Kentucky Mr. Baseball.
“My goal is to have the best year possible and be in the running for Mr. Baseball,” Lawson said. “I believe if I continue to work at it, I could be in the running and that’s my goal.”
