After a productive spring on the junior varsity, Lincoln-Way West’s Carson Paulas knew the summer would bring a big opportunity to show he’s ready to step up and contribute to the varsity.
Paulas, an outfielder who is headed into his junior season, displayed a strong ability to get on base and make things happen for the Warriors in the Phil Lawler Summer Classic.
“I think I can use my speed to my advantage in the outfield, getting on base and taking extra bases,” Paulas said. “I think I could be a good speed threat for the team.”
Lincoln-Way West won its regional to advance to the state finals of the Lawler Classic before losing 8-2 to New Trier in a June 25 quarterfinal at North Central College in Naperville.
Paulas, who singled, walked twice and stole a base in the loss, said the tournament was especially valuable for him as a varsity newcomer.
“It’s good to be around the older guys and get to learn from them,” he said. “It’s good to see better pitching. It’s a good learning experience.”
Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc liked what he saw from Paulas and some other young players.
“Carson’s got some skills,” Zajc said. “He’s a tough kid. He can run. He plays the outfield well. He had a good JV season. He made some good things happen out there for us in this tournament.
“It’s good to see some of those JV guys get some at-bats. That’s what the summer is all about.”
Paulas grew up playing hockey and did not get started with baseball until “three or four years ago.” But it quickly grew on him.
“I loved watching baseball, and once I started playing, I just fell in love with it,” Paulas said. “It clicked right away for me.
“I got a late start with it but athleticism helps me out a lot. My parents getting me going with hitting coaches and things like that on the side has helped me, too.”
Paulas made the decision to quit hockey and go all in with baseball as he headed into high school.
“With hockey, there was a lot of travel,” he said. “I just knew I wanted to focus on baseball and give my all to baseball.”
Paulas has already impressed one of his team’s veteran leaders.
Lucas Acevedo, an Illinois-Chicago bound infielder headed into his senior year, was well aware of Paulas’ numbers on the JV level and liked what he saw from him in the summer.
“Carson’s a player,” Acevedo said. “He’s one of the toughest guys to strike out. I think last season he had three strikeouts all year with like 120 plate appearances, which is just phenomenal.
“He’s one of those guys that’s a tough out every time. I think that’s something he should pride himself on. It’s definitely something I try to be and I try to pride myself on.”
Lincoln-Way West won its first 23 games this spring and went on to finish 30-5, losing 7-2 to eventual Class 4A state champion Providence in a sectional final.
Led by Acevedo and fellow two-way standout Conor Essenburg, a Kansas State recruit, the Warriors will look for more big things in 2025.
“It’s obviously going to be a different team,” Zajc said. “Last year’s senior class was a really close class that jelled really well, guys that had played together for years before high school.
“We come out this summer and it’s different. We just have to start working together and hopefully that stuff will build itself up.”
Paulas believes he’s ready to help lift the Warriors to more success.
“I hope we can make a big push to state,” he said. “We have a really good lineup and good pitching. We have a good roster all-around with a lot of depth, so hopefully we can do big things.”
