Naperville Central shortstop Natalie Lau's links to baseball include ‘A League of Their Own,' history behind it
She isn't related to the late Charley Lau, the former Chicago White Sox hitting coach who authored 'The Art of Hitting. 300.'
Natalie Lau is the great-granddaughter of Dolly Niemiec Konwinski, who was born in Chicago in 1931 and was an infielder for several teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948 until a car crash ended her playing career in 1952.
Baseball and softball have been a family staple ever since.
'Softball's pretty much been through my lineage through the years,' Lau said. 'I think my grandma played a couple of years. My aunt maybe played like a year. My mom played in high school. She was an all-state first baseman in Michigan for her high school team. My brother used to play baseball, and now I'm playing softball.'
Lau, a three-year varsity player, is doing it well. She's hitting .348 with six doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs, 23 runs scored and a team-high seven stolen bases for the Redhawks (20-12, 12-3), who won a share of their first DuPage Valley Conference championship since 2015 and will play West Aurora in the Class 4A Naperville Central Regional semifinals on Wednesday.
'She's done a real nice job defensively and is hitting the ball well, runs well,' Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. 'She really has a lot of energy in the dugout. She is one of the leaders in the dugout making noise and getting people going.'
Lau said she gets that from Konwinski, who died at the age of 87 in 2018. Lau was in fifth grade at the time.
'I did get to meet her,' Lau said. 'She lived in Michigan, so when I was younger, we would go up there a lot, and we would get to see her quite often.
'But it's always been kind of hard for her and my great-grandpa to come watch me play because they have their own schedule. My travel team did get to play in Michigan last year. My great-grandma had passed, so she wasn't able to see, but my great-grandpa did.'
Konwinski, who became a professional bowler, coached her son's Little League teams and umpired high school games, gave Lau valuable advice.
'She always told me to keep my head up and just try my best and always be loud, be confident and have fun with your teammates,' Lau said. 'I feel like I've taken that advice to heart a lot.'
Lau's teammates agree.
'I love Natalie so much,' Naperville Central sophomore pitcher Avery Miller said. 'She's done so much for me. On the field, when something bad has happened, she always has my back.
'We love joking around together. She'll always make me laugh if I'm down. She's just a great person to be around, and I just think everyone should have their own person like that.'
While the 1940s might seem like ancient history to today's teenagers, the Redhawks enjoy hearing stories about Konwinski's exploits.
The AAGPBL, which was founded by former Chicago Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley in 1943 and existed until 1954, was immortalized in the 1992 movie 'A League of Their Own.' Konwinski, who wrote the book 'Summertime Dreams: Yes! Girls Can Play Baseball,' appeared as an extra and was a consultant for the film, which starred Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna.
'I think it's so cool having a teammate that's had someone that experienced that,' Miller said. 'It's just a real blast of the past.
'We usually have our conversations on the bus or in the dugout. Sometimes it'll come up, and she'll explain really cool things.'
Even Nussbaum, who is in his 41st season as coach, enjoys hearing the history. He also has a family connection to the AAGPBL.
'My brother's father-in-law grew up in South Bend, and his dad used to take him to games when he was little,' Nussbaum said. 'It's a cool part of history.'
For Lau, who aspires to play softball in college and study business or law, her family history is something to be treasured.
'It's a really cool, fun fact because it's something that a lot of people wouldn't know,' she said. 'It's really cool to trace the sport back through generations and generations.'
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