Lawson, Taylor named Athletes of the Week

Spring break for students happened last week, but for the Graham High School baseball and softball teams, they pressed forward.

Both teams played two games during the week off from school, with each team going 1-1 in their respective contests. In these past games, Emily Lawson of the Lady Blues softball team and Ryder Taylor of the Steers baseball team earned selections as Athletes of the Week for their performances.

Emily Lawson, third baseman, Lady Blues softball

Third basemen typically provide pop at the plate and a solid glove and arm in the field, and the Lady Blues’ Lawson checks all those boxes.

Over the course of spring break, Graham softball played two games, and while they split the outcomes 1-1, Lawson played a major role in each. In the two games, Lawson batted 4-for-7 (.571) with three runs scored and two RBIs. She also provided steady defense at the hot corner in both games.

Lawson usually bats in the middle of the order for this Lady Blues team, a spot reserved for big hitters who drive in runs. Graham has a lot of quality hitters, and Lawson fits the mold while also standing out in big ways.

“She has a bat with a lot of power. She is one of our girls that flies under the radar to other teams, but I really like it when she comes up to bat with runners in scoring position,” head coach Adam Arrington said. “Any given at bat she has the power to send the ball on a ride and is a home run threat for our offense.”

On the season, Lawson is hitting .452, the second highest batting average on the team. She’s tied for the team lead in doubles with seven, tied for third on the team in RBIs and is third on the team in runs scored. She also has one home run for the team this year.

Her defense at third base, one of the more difficult positions, is exceptional. She regularly makes plays for the team and backs up her pitchers in a big way.

“She has a solid glove at third (base) and a really accurate throwing arm across the infield,” Arrington said. “Emily is a great player for us.”

Ryder Taylor, pitcher, Steers baseball

“He’s a bulldog, you never have to worry about him competing.”

That’s the way Steers baseball head coach Allen McGee described one of his top pitchers in Taylor after the team’s recent 4-3 district win over Mineral Wells.

In that game, Taylor earned the win while throwing five innings of two-run ball and striking out six Rams hitters. Even more impressive about the performance was the fact that Taylor held the visiting team hitless for 4 1/3 innings, something incredibly difficult to do against a district opponent.

In addition to his stellar performance on the mound, Taylor did the bulk of the scoring for his team as he drove in three of the team’s four runs with a sacrifice fly and a two-run single. With this win bringing the team to .500 in district and on the season, Taylor did everything he could to make it happen.

“You just know that he's going to show up and put work in and when other people have gone home, he'll still be up here hitting in the cage,” McGee said.

On the season, Taylor has been the workhorse on the mound for this team. He’s thrown 27 1/3 innings and has started all six games he’s pitched in. He’s been tasked with taking on the opposing teams’ toughest hitters and has answered the call every time.

The junior has been on the varsity squad since his freshman year and McGee has seen improvement every season. Taylor will continue to be an integral part of this team the rest of this season and into the next.

“He's matured a lot since his freshman year and I love seeing that maturity out of him,” McGee said. “The sky's the limit for a kid like him.”