Memories From the Women’s College World Series: Rachel Lawson

The 1992 Women’s College World Series saw the debut of the UMass Minutewomen in Oklahoma City. Led by the legendary head coach Elaine Sortino, the Minutewomen went 2-2 in the tournament, losing twice to eventual National Champions UCLA.

On that impressive UMass squad was a first baseman by the name of Rachel Lawson. The sophomore infielder posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage during the World Series and led all defensive players in putouts and fielding chances during the event.

Now the head coach at Kentucky, Lawson returned to Oklahoma City in 2014, this time leading her Wildcats to the game’s ultimate stage. She is one of just nine coaches all-time to pull off the achievement of both playing and coaching in the WCWS, and one of four active such coaches.

Here, Lawson shares some of her WCWS memories as both a player and a coach.

On going to the WCWS as a player… “It was so different back then from a hype standpoint. You didn’t have as much hype outside of your program when you went, but definitely within your program, within your coaching staff, everyone was really aware of what a big  deal it was and how rare it was. And at that time, it was the only time that you played in a stadium. Back then, for the World Series, they filmed the championship game and the two semifinal games… the external hype wasn’t as big of a deal, but the feeling of going to the World Series was just so amazing, because you just never saw anything like that. It’s so cool, the growth that’s happened at Hall of Fame Stadium, but at that time, what we had was still the pinnacle; you’d never seen anything like that before. Just to see your name come up on a video board was so unique.”

On the emotion of qualifying for the WCWS… “It was more of an adrenaline rush and fun. As the tournament goes on, that’s when you start to feel a little more pressure, but you’re fully aware that you’re probably never going to have this opportunity again, so you need to enjoy it, enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy each other out on the field. Looking back, it’s more about taking in what’s around you and the magnitude of it; you’ve been playing your whole life, but it’s that one moment in time where you’re realizing ‘my team is a really big deal.’ The adrenaline rush of being in that environment, there’s not really anything else like it.”

On being part of the storied legacy of the Massachusetts program… “I didn’t really think of it at the time, because I was just in the moment. A couple of things that I thought were really cool was how I was fully aware of what it meant to our head coach in that moment. I think I came up with a key hit, and sometimes when you get a cool hit, you get interviewed after the game, so this was the first time I was walking down to the room where you get interviewed and everything. I remember as we went down, she was shaking because we had won and were now the team being interviewed… as a younger player, you’re excited to play, but you don’t generally have those moments where you’re aware of what it meant to your coach. And too, UMass softball during that time was such a storied program. We were going far into the postseason, and I really attribute that to our coaching staff. Our coach was also an [assistant]AD, and she really tried to make everything happen for us, for our team.”

On her emotions after clinching a WCWS berth in 2014… “At first, I was kind-of in shock. Not because we won, but because I call pitches, so sometimes I get so dialed-in to the situation that the bigger picture moment of ‘wow, this could be the last pitch of the game’ never dawns on me. I remember calling the last pitch [of the final Super Regional victory], and it was like silence [in the stadium]. I remember Kara Dill was standing by me and I asked her ‘Did we just win?’ And she gave me this look, the ‘what is wrong with you’ look, and she said we did. Then I came to my senses and was watching everybody run out on the field and hug each other and just celebrate, and because I didn’t react very quick in the moment, I was able to watch my staff and the players just enjoying it. That’s what you work for in the game of softball, to go to the World Series, and that was probably one of the best moments of my career, to get to watch the joy from all of them as they were celebrating.”

On the differences in the WCWS in 1992 and 2014… “It’s very different, mainly because you’re on the other side of it. When you’re a player, you’re just gawking around, you want to go to the gift shop, and you’re just taking in all of it. Then as a coach, especially because I had been there before, I was trying to make sure that they were able to take in the entire experience. I wanted to make sure that I planned natural time where they could do the gift shops, watch the ESPN crew come in and interview you, all of those things. That’s probably terrible coaching, but I wanted to make sure they could appreciate every single moment, and I wanted to do it without them knowing that I was doing it, which was the real trick. You want to make sure they stay as structured as possible, because it gives the best opportunity to win, but you also want to make sure they don’t miss any part of the experience, because this is one of the very reasons that you play sports.”

On how playing in the WCWS affected her preparation to coach in it… “It was so far apart, it really didn’t. And it was a completely different era; the way you prepare now for a World Series is totally different than it was back then. The preparing in this sport is completely different; the sport itself is the same once you cross the white lines, but everything else is different. When you’re there coaching, so much of your time is just spent in the hotel room preparing, and I’m not sure I would have known that way back when as just a player.”

On whether she’d rather relive playing or coaching in the WCWS… “Ooh, good question. Obviously, playing is better than coaching. Coaching is like the next-best thing; when you go into coaching, it’s only because you can’t play anymore. I’m pretty sure that anybody who coaches would go back and play in a heartbeat. With that said, now in my adult mind, I’d rather go back and coach because you have the ability of hindsight and know what you would do differently. In my current frame of mind, I’d want the extra chance to coach for a championship, but by far, playing is the best experience.”