Michigan Baseball Recruit Player Profile: Brandon Lawerence

Earlier this week, Great Lakes Post caught up with Brandon Lawerence of Dunn School in California to talk about his season and recruitment to the University of Michigan Baseball Program.

How excited are you for this season? I am very excited about this season, but because we are in California, we get a little head start. We are almost done with the regular season of high school and moving on to playoffs in only three weeks. It’s been a remarkable year. Getting to play with two of my best friends before all three of us go off next year to play D1 baseball is a memory I will never forget, and I will always cherish.

What’s it like being a shortstop? Being a shortstop is unique and is one of the most demanding positions on the field. I love playing shortstop because I feel it adds additional responsibilities for me. I love being in control of the defense and the pressure being on me. I find it motivating because while others can focus on single parts of their game, I am forced to remember plays, work on my hitting, work on fielding, and be a constant motivator and teammate for the rest of the guys on the team.

How did you first get into baseball? I have been playing baseball my whole life. My dad took me to the field for my older brothers practices as long as I can remember. He would always challenge me to try and compete at the same level as the older kids, which I think was a driving force in me becoming a D1 athlete.

Did you play any other sports? My entire life I have played other sports like soccer, basketball, and football. I have never loved any sport as I love baseball. The other sports I played were used more to teach me lessons that you can’t always learn as quickly in baseball. I used the other sports to help with agility, footwork, and hand-eye coordination, which as a result made me a better baseball player.

Why is Michigan the place you wanted to go? As soon as I stepped on campus at the University of Michigan, it felt like home. The people that were there, the coaches, and the atmosphere made me excited to be a part of something at the next level. Coach Bakich made me feel right at home and that Michigan was the only logical next step to becoming an adult.

How do you mentally prepare for a game? Usually, before a game, I like to visualize what I want to do hitting and how I am going to be able to accomplish that. I focus on mechanical issues in my swing and what can I do to correct them. I like to envision success with hitting and defense and put myself in place to succeed. After that, I feel locked in and ready to go.

What has baseball taught you? Baseball has taught me how to deal with failure. Baseball is one of the only games where you can fail 70% of the time and still be considered one of the greatest ever to play. Knowing how to come back from failure and how to deal with adversity is a lesson for the game of baseball and life

What are your goals for this season? My goals for my last high school season are to take the team we have on a run in the CIF southern section playoffs. My whole high school career I haven’t made it out of the first round of playoffs. It would be a dream come true to take this team far into the playoffs and have a memory of a lifetime.

What will you miss about high school baseball? I think the thing I’ll miss most about high school baseball is going to be my teammates. I have known some of the guys on my team for over six years and some of them I have only known for one.  But the guys that I have been fortunate enough to be around for this year and the previous three years have created lasting memories that I will always cherish.