SPRINGDALE — Orange Grove, Miss., coach Matt Lawton knows his players dream of reaching the major leagues some day.
That’s one reason his team made a nearly 12-hour trip by bus to Springdale for the Cal Ripken 12-Year-Old Southwest Regional Tournament at the Tyson Complex. Lawton knows that before any player reaches the bright lights of major leagues, he must pay his dues with long bus rides in the minor leagues.
Lawton took a lot of those trips before he reached the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins in 1995.
“This trip will be a good experience for the kids,” said Lawton, who played for 12 years in the majors leagues, mostly with the Twins. “It reminds me of the bus rides I used to take. In the minor leagues, I think they want to make it hard for you. When I played in AA, some of those stadiums and the fields we played on were horrible. It’s better now, but you still have to travel around quite a bit.”
Lawton cited Arvest Ballpark, which sits just across the interstate from where the Southwest Regional is being held. The facility is home to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, a AA affliate of the Kansas City Royals.
“I had to chuckle a bit when I saw how beautiful that stadium is,” Lawton said. “These guys today definitely have it better with these state-of-the art stadiums and playing fi elds.”
Lawton, 41, turned to coaching in youth sports leagues after he retired from baseball in 2006. His Orange Grove team includes his son, Chaseton Lawton, who he began coaching four years ago.
“As a parent, it’s tough sometimes trying to coach your kid, especially with as much baseball as I’ve seen,” Lawton said. “You want them to absorb everything but that doesn’t happen right away. But I see Chaseton getting better each year, kind of like I did when I played. Talent alone won’t get you there. You have to keep working at it.”
Young players look up to those who have made it to the big leagues and Lawton is no exception. He twice made the American League All-Star team and his best year came with the Twins in 2000, when he hit .305 with 13 home runs and 88 RBI.
Besides his talent, Lawton is appreciated by the Orange Grove parents for the way he treats their kids.
“I tell my son that when he gets a workout with coach Lawton, it’s like going to baseball college,” Micky Sajwai said. “It’s not all about winning with him. He gives each kid personal attention to help bring them up and make them better.”
Lawton, who batted .267 with 138 home runs during his career, said his goal is to help kids enjoy the game of baseball rather to try to mold them into college and major league prospects.
“I had a good run in my career, and it was defnitely fun,” Lawton said. “But I’m focused on the kids now and trying to pass on some things I learned. But it has to be fun for them and something they like to do. That’s the most important thing I try to teach.”