Reggie Lawson Represents Cali Well | PG National Notes

By Jeff Dahn

www.perfectgame.org

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The recent history of the Perfect Game National Showcase tells a tale of the tape that lists an extraordinary wealth of marquee pitching arms from the state of California.

Last year’s PG National put on display Cali kids like Kolby Allard, Drew Finley and Kyle Molnar; the 2013 event showcased Brady Aiken, Luis Ortiz and Jack Flaherty. In 2012, there was Ian Clarkin and Jonah Wesley; 2011 gave us lefties Max Fried and Hunter Virant.

Those were just the biggest names. There was enough pitching depth from the Golden State serving as a supporting cast to fill the PG All-American Classic West Team roster and, down the road, college, minor league and major league rosters as well.

The 15th annual Perfect Game National Showcase that concluded its six-day run at JetBlue Park on Monday lacked that extraordinary California depth. But the top two guys that were here – Southern Californians Reggie Lawson and Kevin Gowdy – represented their state extremely well and belong right there among those names listed at the top of this essay.

Gowdy, a right-hander from Santa Barbara, threw late last week, while Lawson, a righty from Adalento, got his turn in the smothering Southwest Florida heat and humidity Sunday afternoon. Lawson is an athletic 6-foot-4, 205-pounder and was one of the stars of the event, showing the others in attendance that these California guys are still forces to be reckoned with.

“This was a great experience, knowing that you’re here with guys that are on the same level as you,” he said Sunday. “And they’re nice guys, you know? It’s nice to meet new guys from all around the country, and it’s neat to see where they come from and where I come from and how we relate with that.”

At previous PG tournament events, Lawson’s fastball had sat 87-89 mph and never got any higher than 90. On Sunday, he sat 90-92 and topped out at 93. The scouting report also noted he was delivering a hard-running, two-seam fastball at 89 mph and breaking balls at 74 mph.

The other top pitchers at this year’s PG National arrived from states like New Jersey, New York, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and, of course, Florida. “They go about their business a little bit differently than we do,” Lawson said, “but what they’re doing is working. They’re out there playing with us so it must be working.”

Lawson has been playing baseball for as long as he can remember, or at least back to when he was 3 or 4 years old and a cousin who was a few years older than him showed up wearing a baseball uniform and carrying a glove, a bat and a ball. Lawson was sold immediately and insisted it would be him wearing the uniform and carting around a glove, a bat and a ball very shortly.

Adalento is in San Bernardino County in the High Desert portion of Southern California’s Inland Empire and is considered part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The area is very temperate and allows youngsters like Lawson to play baseball the year around.

This is the summer between Lawson’s junior and senior years at Victor Valley High School, in Victorville, Calif. The Jackrabbits, under the direction of head coach A.J. Le Day finished 16-10 this spring after losing in the quarterfinal round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs.

Lawson was 6-4 with a 2.25 ERA, and allowed 17 earned runs on 34 hits in 53 innings pitched with 67 strikeouts and 16 walks. Lawson gives Le Day a lot of the credit for the progression of his baseball career. Lawson became acquainted with his coach even before he got to Victor Valley HS, having played as a youngster on a club team that Le Day operated.

“He has basically made me the baseball player that I am today,” Lawson said. “He disciplined me when I needed to be disciplined and he’s always done what he needed to do to make me better.”

It wasn’t until his freshman year at Victor Valley that Lawson began taking pitching seriously. He had been playing primarily infield positions before some of the people around him realized his potential as a pitcher.

Lawson spent last summer and fall – and even January of this year – playing with West Coast powerhouse CBA Marucci. He was with CBA at the 2014 15u PG MLK Championship, the 16u PG WWBA National Championship, PG California World Series (Underclass) and the 2015 18u PG MLK Championship.

He was named to the all-tournament team at both PG MLK events (he was also named all-tournament at the 2013 PG/EvoShield Underclass National Championship while playing with the Colton Nighthawks). He has especially enjoyed working with executive director/coach Jon Paino and underclass coach Daylon Monette since joining up with CBA.

“That’s a great program with a lot of great people,” Lawson said. “Especially the coaches – they really care about you and they take care of you. My experiences with them definitely got me prepared for an (event) like this.”

Lawson has committed to Arizona State in Tempe and when asked what went into his decision to commit to the Sun Devils he didn’t hesitate before answering “the coaches.” Head coach Tracy Smith and pitching coach Brandon Higelin made an immediate positive impression on Lawson, as did Phoenix Municipal Stadium – “The Muni” – where the Sun Devils play their home games.

“When you walk into that beautiful field with those facilities – MLB U, that’s what they call it – it’s great, but it’s really because of the coaches,” Lawson said when asked what made him choose ASU. “They’re loving, caring and they tell you straight up what you’re going to do there.”

Lawson – and Gowdy before him – did an excellent job of representing California’s prep pitching community at the just completed PG National Showcase. The talent pool may not have been as deep this year but the guys swimming at the top more than held their own.

“This is going to help me get better and let me know what I’ve got to work on,” Lawson said. “These guys out here, they’re going to play in the big leagues sooner or later so they’re all hitting their stuff. Basically, you know what you need to work on when you leave here because you see what everybody else is working on.

“You have all the pro scouts and college (coaches) and everyone looking at you, this is just a great experience,” he concluded. “You get to play with a lot of talented guys and there’s no place I’d rather be.”

– Jeff Dahn