Embracing the Grind

Dawson Willis doesn’t have to worry about fighting complacency.

He had to earn the right to play at shortstop in high school. His college path is starting in the junior college ranks at LSU-Eunice, a JUCO powerhouse that doesn’t accept average workers.

And at every stop, he’s grinded for what he wants – a trait Dawson and his former coaches at Ruston High believe gives him a shot to keep rising at LSU-E and pursue a strong baseball future.

After a productive first season with LSU-E, hitting .341 with 6 home runs, 42 RBIs and a .465 on-base percentage this spring, Dawson will attest he’s not about to slow down and believes he’s got more in the tank for 2024 and beyond.

“I feel like I learned a lot this first year,” Dawson said to the Leader. “I learned how to grind really. Being at a JUCO, everyone is grinding. If you weren’t working, you fell behind. That’s just the culture there. All the guys are working every single day.”

Even as a freshman at LSU-E this past season, Dawson ranked third on the team in batting average, while stealing 28 bases, the most of anyone on the roster.

He hit .302 in conference play and started 46 games at shortstop for the JUCO power that’s won NJCAA titles most recently in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021.

“I want to get stronger and put more weight on to try and get more power and hit some more home runs,” Willis said. “Other than that, I just want to keep focusing on the job and on the field and keep my arm strength. There’s something to get better at.”

Willis attributes his ability to jump into the collegiate ranks head on to his time at Ruston High, learning from head baseball coach Zack Smith.

“Coach Smith did a great job of preparing me for the next level, and he told me I had to grind too,” he said. “We didn’t take much time off ever, and I appreciated that.”

Smith coached Dawson throughout his time at Ruston, with Smith serving as an assistant coach for five years prior to being named the program’s head coach for the 2022 season, Willis’ senior year.

For as much credit as the former Bearcat wishes to pass along to his high school experiences, Smith said it all comes back to Willis striving to become the best player he can.

“Man, he hasn’t stopped playing ball since he left here. Just excited for him,” Smith said. “He had a great year at LSU- Eunice, which is a powerhouse, nationally ranked team in junior college. Excited to see what happens from here, whether it’s the draft, going D-I. Just glad he’s really blossomed into the player that he is.”

Willis was an All-District selection his senior year on the diamond, starting at shortstop for two years. He also played wide receiver for the RHS football team.

“He’s someone I want my two sons to be around with just the work ethic that he has,” Smith said.

Chris Willis, Dawson’s father and current RHS assistant baseball coach, is proud of his son for embracing the hard work it takes to be successful.

He knew there would be a natural transition for Dawson into the college ranks, including finding out pitcher tendencies against him and when to pick and choose his spots to attack.

As Dawson continues to spend his offseason in a summer league and regularly lifting weights, Chris knows his son is always going to find room to improve.

“Credit to him, he just went to work,” Chris Willis said. “He didn’t go in there thinking, ‘ Hey, I’m going to be the starter’ or ‘I’m not going to be the starter.’ I think he just got down there, and it’s a culture built on work, and he was around some good guys that showed him the way.”

And yet, Dawson’s shortstop career almost never came to be.

Chris, who coached Dawson before he reached high school, wouldn’t let his son play shortstop, even with natural arm strength and range to play the position.

He didn’t want Dawson to feel like the spot was handed to him, and certainly didn’t want other parents and players to feel that way.

And in turn, that’s where part of his competitive drive comes from.

“He was a coach’s kid,” Chris Willis said. “Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, he’s the coach’s kid, so you’ll put him at short.’ Well, I didn’t do that. I wanted him to earn to be that guy. And I’ll tell you, a guy came to me one day and he said, ‘You’re really hurting your son by not putting him in the best position. He’s the best shortstop on this team. But you’re not letting him play there because he’s your kid.’ And I thought it and realized that wasn’t fair to him, so when he got to high school, he moved to shortstop.”

Smith said as Dawson grew more confident in his abilities throughout high school, the grind didn’t feel like work. It was something he loved to pour into.

The Bearcats’ current baseball facility features a ‘Next-Level’ wall inside the locker room, with former players who went on to play college ball, like Dawson Willis or Kasten Furr or older brother C. J. Willis, etched for generations to come. C.J., a former member of the LSU Tigers, played this past season for UL- Lafayette’s Ragin’ Cajuns.

You want to make it to the next level? Smith tells his current squad to reflect on what it looks like to achieve your goals, including the story of Dawson.

“They see it,” Smith said. “They see the work those guys put in and then if those guys have ambitions to play at the next level, they see what it takes to do it.”