Warrenton senior Braden Lawson has officially committed to continue his baseball career at Hannibal-LaGrange University next year.

The Warrior catcher hit .280 with a .380 on-base percentage last season as a junior while helping lead the Warrenton pitching staff.

“It feels great,” Lawson said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, so it just feels great now that I’ve actually accomplished it. Now I just have to work harder to be better than what I am now.”

Lawson was third on the team last spring with 13 RBIs, and finished the season with 14 singles.

He said he’ll spend the next few months preparing for the jump in competition.

“I really want to fine-tune the weaker points of my game so I’m a more well-rounded player and able to help the team more,” he said.

Lawson will join a Hannibal-LaGrange program that finished 7-40 last season.

The Trojans compete in the American Midwest Conference, an NAIA league that features a majority of Missouri-based colleges.

“When I went up there to visit I really just had a good feeling,” Lawson said. “I really liked the campus and all it had to offer. Then I talked to some of the players and they were super cool, and I really liked the coaches too.”

Lawson will lead a Warrenton team next spring that lost six seniors off last year’s roster, and he hopes his offseason workouts pay off.

“I hope it’s my best season,” he said. “I’m putting in a lot of work on my hitting, so I’m hoping I can improve a lot offensively.”