DALLAS — Jordan Lawlar puts in work.
He might be the best high school player in the country right now. And being that good takes time and effort. But he doesn't just want to be good.
"He told me at a young age, that he wants to be a major league baseball player," his mother Hope said. "So I told him, we'll do everything we can to get there, but you're going to have to work really hard."
That hard work hasn't just been Jordan's, though. His mother, Hope, is there for many of his workouts.
"There's a local indoor batting cage we're able to go to, with a machine," Jordan said. "And she'd soft toss for me, or she'd put balls on the tee."
"I mean, I've tried to do Fungo," Hope said with a laugh. "I'm awful at it, but I've done that for him."
It's always been this way for Hope and Jordan, no matter the sport. They were either partners, or competitors.
"Basketball, since I did play it, I would play with my left hand to handicap myself, so he could have a chance to win," Hope said. "So we just have done everything like that, together, as a unit."
Just the two of them.
"Oh, his mom has been wonderful," Jesuit head coach Brian Jones said. "To be able to raise him as a single parent... just kudos to her, for raising such a good quality young man."
And that work ethic Jordan has -- it came from Hope. She's the manager at the Linen Boutique in Dallas, and has worked long hours for many years to help raise Jordan.
"Just watching her work all the time, and her determination and her hard work -- I feel like that's just driven me to be the best player I can be," Jordan said. "I never really slack and take the easy way, because I feel like I'd be cheating her at the end of the day."
Now, Jordan sits on the precipice of baseball superstardom, as a likely top 5 pick in July's MLB draft, and a possible selection for the Pirates, Rangers, Tigers, and more.
Where does he want to go?
"Vanderbilt," he says with a laugh.
He's practiced that answer, I imagine. But he says it's genuine. He loves the school, the program, the coaching staff, and the wonderful education he'll receive. And it doesn't hurt that Vandy won the national title last year, and has a chance to make it back-to-back championships this week.
Ultimately, he says he'll go wherever gives him the best chance to achieve his goal -- one day being a Hall of Famer.
"Hopefully I can win a Gold Glove, and then also on the offensive side, be a Silver Slugger. I think I can do both, and I hope that's where I'll be."
And when he gets there, he'll have his mom to thank.
"To watch the hours that he's put in individually, I've done it with him, it's so exciting, because it's those things that have paid off, I think, in the end, to get him where he is," Hope said. "But, you know, there's a lot of work to do, so, we know that you just have to approach every day like 'what can I do today to get better for tomorrow.' And that's always been the goal."