Honoring the Class of 2020: Britton Lawrence

Britton Lawrence was not even sure he was going to play.

After two years hitting in the low 200's, the infielder from Winters Mill, Md. was uncertain whether he really loved the game. With a heavy academic load and an internship, he stepped away from the program for a period in the fall of 2018. 

In the time away, Lawrence realized he really did want it. First-year Head Coach Scott Renauro brought Lawrence back into the program but did not start him early on in 2019. With his passion restored, Lawrence quickly worked his way into the everyday line-up and started hitting line-drives to all fields. In 2019, he led the Eagles in total bases, and runs, and was tied for the team lead in hits. He became a fixture in the middle of the line-up. He earned second-team All-MAC Freedom honors as a third baseman.

As important, Lawrence had found a love for the game that was infectious and a desire to improve all parts of his game. His work-ethic became a model for younger players

While his average was down a little in the 2020 season, he was still second on the squad in RBI's, extra-base hits, and stolen bases. He winds up with 97 hits and 62 RBIs in his Eastern career. Twenty-one of his 54 hits in the last two seasons went for extra bases. He played both the corner infield spots and was moving into a role as a late-game relief pitcher. 

"Brit is someone you want in your program," Renauro said. "I am sorry I only had a chance to coach him for one and some change. He is one of the nicest humans around but an extreme competitor on the field. Even after earning all conference honors last year, he wanted to continue to get better and revamp a few holes in his swing. He is not satisfied with where he is. That will translate into the business world."

Britton Responds:

My favorite memory is beating Misericordia last year to snap that 28-game losing streak or whatever it was. It was a solid win for us at the time and a great builder for the program. Mis has always been a tough team and nothing was more fun than sticking it to them.  

There are many things that I will miss. I'll miss seeing my teammates everyday and working towards a shared goal. Nothing was more fun than competing with each other each day. I'll miss seeing fans fill the hill at every home game. The support is always great and helps us to remember that there's more to the game than just wins and losses. Lastly, I'll miss hitting baseballs. Hitting baseballs brought such joy especially if you really get into one. 

 I think I learned the most from Tim Gorton. Watching him not only play in games but seeing the work and intent he put into his craft behind the scenes taught me a lot about work ethic. I think this influenced me to work harder in the gym and in practice. I'm extremely thankful for this as I know it's going to translate to my professional career and many other things in life. 

College athletics brought along a lot of successes and failures. I think college athletics helped improve my mental toughness. There are going to be so many successes and failures that come along the way but having a positive attitude is going to be a major asset for entering the workforce. 

Man, I have a lot of people to thank. First and foremost, I have to thank my incredibly selfless parents. Over the course of my career, they have supported me, pushed me, and always have been there for me - I'm the luckiest son in the world. Following them, I have to thank the rest of my family, friends, and teammates. I have been surrounded by amazing people over this journey and I'm blessed to have had the support that I've had. And of course, I have to thank the Big Man for blessing me with being able to play this great game for as long as I have, thanks God!

With the National Emergency caused by the impending spread of the novel coronavirus, the NCAA canceled Winter and Spring Championships and Governor Wolf moved instruction online and ordered colleges to send students home. 
As a result of this crisis, student-athletes competing in spring sports had their seasons cut short and teams were unable to honor their senior student-athletes in a traditional way. Without diminishing the seriousness of the crisis, we would like to honor our senior student-athletes over the next 50 days or so. The NCAA has granted all spring athletes an extra season of eligibility, so some members of the class of 2020 may compete in 2021. Regardless, we will want to honor the seniors with their class. 
We encourage everyone to stay safe, encourage each other, and to listen to the guidelines put forth by the CDC.