Freshman second baseman Nicky Dawson likes to think she’s the fastest player on LSU’s softball team.
Dawson, a native of Baton Rouge, has been starting to make more offensive and defensive contributions for the Tigers, but if you blink, you just might miss her.
“There’s a lot of things she can get away with that no one else can,” coach Beth Torina said. “It’s nice to see her get going.”
Not letting her speed go to waste, Dawson’s main role for the Tigers is to pinch run for the team’s big hitters when she isn’t playing second base. Dawson has scored 12 runs and leads the team in stolen bases with six.
While senior second baseman Constance Quinn is Torina’s go-to starter at second base, Quinn says that she and Dawson are head to head, one isn’t ahead of the other.
“Regardless of who plays however many games, who starts, she’s well-deserving to be here and well-deserving to start,” Quinn said.
Dawson recently started playing at second base last summer with her travel ball team after playing at shortstop for years, but she knew coming into the season that this was where she belonged.
Working under Quinn and her experience is something that Dawson takes from every single practice and game.
“It’s one of those things where we compete, and it’s a respectful competition and I love watching her play,” Dawson said. “Having her experience is something that I really do enjoy.”
Quinn has been a program leader with 155 starts under her belt at second base, and is excited to see what Dawson will accomplish in the future.
“After I leave, she’s somebody I’m going to want to come back and watch, because she’s just a great athlete,” Quinn said.
Dawson started to turn heads in the game against Illinois State when she hit her first RBI and beat two throws to home plate sliding head first.
“Nicky Dawson puts in a lot of work,” junior outfielder Emily Griggs said. “It was awesome to see that she finally got the RBI she was working for. And she’s super fast.”
After this season, Dawson will have a chance to earn the starting role at second base for the Tigers, but it won’t come without competition.
“We have some good players coming in, and I think it’s always going to be competition,” Dawson said. “Now it is me and Connie, then it will be me and someone else. [The starting spot] is not a given, so I still have to work and compete and hopefully be the starter.”
Playing at the collegiate level is an adjustment for any athlete, and Dawson said she is taking in everything and trying to sit back and learn.
“Right now is more of a learning process,” Dawson said. “At this level, everybody is great. To be able to actually produce is the key thing. Sometimes you have to just sit back and learn and watch.”

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Kelly McDuff

LSU freshman utility Nicky Dawson (10) bunts the ball during the Tigers’ 10-2 victory over ISU on Friday, March 3, 2017, at Tiger Park.