Life is good for Marist’s Lawlor brothers right now.
Ryan is wrapping up his senior year as the cleanup hitter and left fielder for the RedHawks baseball team after being a key rotation player for Marist’s Class 4A state champs in basketball.
Collin is one of the state’s top sophomores in baseball, a left-handed pitcher whose fastball has been clocked in the mid-80s.
They helped the RedHawks open East Suburban Catholic play on a high note on April 13, playing key roles in a 4-1 win at Nazareth.
Collin pitched a three-hitter with one walk and five strikeouts, holding the Roadrunners without an earned run. Ryan went 3-for-4 with a double and drove in two runs.
Ryan is committed to Division III St. Mary’s of Minnesota for baseball. During Marist’s title run in basketball, he still carved out time on the weekends to hit and get ready for the spring.
“If the (early baseball) games didn’t get delayed, I had, like, a two-day break between the (state) championship and the first game,” he said. “But the guys have been picking me up and it’s just been a good feeling.”
Sharing the experience with Collin, who was on the varsity as a freshman, only makes it better.
“All the guys love him,” Ryan said. “Obviously, he’s a stud pitcher so I love playing with him and backing him up on defense.”
An example of that came in the sixth inning against Nazareth, when Ryan laid out for a diving catch to rob the Roadrunners’ Gavin Hartigan of an extra-base hit.
“I thought it was in the gap for sure, but as I kept running I thought, ‘Oh, I can get there,'” Ryan said.
On the mound, all Collin could do was marvel and tip his cap to his brother.
“I thought that ball was in the gap for sure, (and thought), ‘Oh, my God,'” Collin said. “Then I saw him tracking it. I was like, ‘No way.’
“And then he just got it. It was amazing.”
The whole season falls into that category, truth be told.
“It’s been so much fun,” Collin said. “I can’t drive yet, so he’s been driving me. The car rides to practices and games and out to eat and the team hangout. It’s just been a blast. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Neither would Marist coach Kevin Sefcik, who appreciates all the Lawlor brothers bring to the table.
Sefcik likes Collin’s steady approach. It showed up in the bottom of the fourth, when Nazareth loaded the bases with none out but scored only once.
“Collin just has a slow heartbeat, man,” Sefcik said. “He could have let up four that inning, but only let up one and we stayed in the game.”
Ryan, meanwhile, jumped right into baseball and stepped in where he was needed.
“He’s played probably his fifth position,” Sefcik said. “He comes off basketball, really not ready for the (baseball) season and he comes right in there and plays hard. … It’s good when your seniors are leading the way.”
Marist dropped the second game of the series to Nazareth 3-2 in eight innings, but swept Niles Notre Dame to finish the first week of league play 8-6 overall and 3-1 in the ESCC.
The Roadrunners ended the week 12-4 overall and 2-2 in the ESCC after splitting a Saturday doubleheader with Carmel.
“I always tell these guys, the conference is unforgiving,” Nazareth coach Lee Milano said. “It’s 16 games of the grind.”