Allie Mathewson understands one big reason she’s had so much success on the softball field.

“I have very good genes,” Mathewson said. “But I also really enjoy playing, and it’s always been fun for me.”

The senior catcher at Papillion-La Vista South is a two-time All-Nebraska player and the youngest player to accept a scholarship offer from Creighton. The offer came early in her sophomore year.

That means she’ll be playing college ball at the same school where her mother, Mariah, played. Mathewson’s father, O.J., was a standout slow-pitch player who has his own plaque in the Nebraska Softball Hall of Fame.

But Allie knows that holding a winning ticket in the genetic lottery doesn’t guarantee success without plenty of hard work and dedication. That’s where mom and dad come in again.

“They’re pretty hard on me,” Mathewson said. “They just expect a lot from me, but I expect a lot from myself.”

Once again Mathewson is meeting her expectations as she prepares to help lead the No. 3 Titans into the Metro Conference tournament. They open Thursday against Omaha Benson at Seymour Smith Park.

Through Papio South’s first 13 games, Mathewson is hitting .478 with 15 runs scored, two home runs and an on-base percentage of .680. While leading the 10-3 Titans to the championship of Saturday’s Norfolk Invitational, Mathewson was 6 for 7 with four doubles and a home run in three games.

“Allie is a triple threat because she can bunt, slap and she hits for power,” Papio South coach Dan Hogan said. “She calls the pitches, and she has such good softball sense that I trust her in every aspect of hitting and stealing.”

Last season Mathewson received votes for the All-Nebraska team at every position except pitcher.

Don’t even think about giving Mathewson an intentional walk, because her speed puts so much pressure on defenders. If you put her on base, Hogan says, “you might as well look at it as a double.”

Even with her speed, Mathewson said she has no interest in following in her father’s footsteps as a sprinter on the track and field team.

“We work on speed during the off-season and a bunch of agility drills,” Mathewson said. “Everyone tries to get me to run track, but I really don’t like to run.”

The Titans finished third at the state tournament in 2008 and fourth last season. In a wide-open season, Papio South again is one of a handful of teams with a good shot at winning the 2010 title next month in Hastings.

Mathewson said this already has been her favorite high school season.

“It’s all about having fun and spending time with the girls you like,” she said.

Contact the writer:

490-9714, alexsdad@mail.com

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