During the offseason, sophomore right-hander Andrew Dawson established the goal of hitting 87 or maybe even 88 mph on his fastball for Oak Forest.
He ended up hitting 89.
“That was a surprise,” he said. “I was happy to see that.”
But here’s the thing about Dawson. Although he could probably get a lot of outs the easy way by just using his fastball, he’s working on becoming a complete pitcher, even at this young age.
“He used to be a little more of a thrower, and to his credit, he’s worked at becoming an actual pitcher,” Bengals coach Ronald Czarnecki said of Dawson. “He’s hitting spots and not just relying on his God-given ability of throwing really hard with really good stuff.
“Now, he’s spotting everything and setting hitters up.”
That was on display Thursday in a South Suburban Conference crossover. Dawson threw seven scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing two hits in a 5-0 victory over Evergreen Park.
Justin Gibbs led Oak Forest (16-3, 9-0) offensively with a two-run single, while Sean Sullivan, Andrew Lucas and Ryan Heitz each drove in runs.
Grady Elwood took the tough-luck loss for Evergreen Park (11-5, 3-5). The senior right-hander allowed just one earned run and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings.
Still, Elwood wasn’t pointing fingers afterward as Mustangs struggled on offense and defense.
“Everyone has an off day,” he said. “It’s a group effort. I could have done better, too. I had a couple of walks and a couple of bad pitches.”
Evergreen Park’s Grady Elwood throws a pitch against Oak Forest in the fifth inning of a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Forest on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
Dawson, meanwhile, improved his record to 3-1 while lowering his ERA to 1.17. He has 23 strikeouts in 18 innings. He also has a plan of action when he faces hitters.
“I want to get ahead in the count,” Dawson said. “I want to throw strikes and use the curveball and change-up to take them out.”
The big hit in support of Dawson came from Gibbs, a junior left-hander who has emerged as a team leader on the mound. He has a 4-0 record and 1.05 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.
Gibbs has enjoyed watching Dawson’s progress.
“Every day he is on — he knows how to pitch,” Gibbs said. “He’s hard to hit. I would have to hit against him during practices in the offseason. He’s got it.”
Gibbs also is having a good week. He struck out 11 and hit two home runs Wednesday in an 8-4 win over Richards. He has been able to hit 84 mph with his velocity.
Dawson said he has learned a lot from Gibbs.
“He’s exceptional,” Dawson said. “His ERA is one-something and his curveball is disgusting. Nobody can hit it.”
Gibbs said he has learned some things from Dawson as well.
“I look up to him even though he is younger than me,” Gibbs said. “I look up to him to see what I can learn because he had the ‘velo’ and sometimes he gives me tips.”
Oak Forest’s Ryan Heitz (16) helps Sean Sullivan after both scored on Justin Gibbs’ single against Evergreen Park in a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Forest on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
In the fall, Dawson was a wide receiver on varsity for the Bengals in football. Gibbs played golf, but he wants to team up again with Dawson in the upcoming season. He hopes to land a spot at safety or defensive back.
Dawson credited the baseball success to his parents, Michael and Stephanie, for getting him involved early in the sport.
Andrew said his dad grew up in Oklahoma and played at Southeastern Oklahoma State. His mother, whose maiden name was Ruiz, played softball at Bremen.
“Their influence is huge,” Dawson said. “It took a little while to get to this point, but my dad has been helping me put in a lot of work.
“My ‘velo’ shot up out of nowhere, and he has really helped me with that.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
