By Anthony Manfredi, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
Hamilton, NY — According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, a sibling rivalry is generally understood as jealousy or resentment between children among the same family. The journal concludes that the rivalries are the result of one child (typically a younger one) feeling as though she is not receiving as much attention or recognition as the other sibling.
Based on that profile, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø softball sisters Melissa and Natalie Rawson should be the sibling rivalry poster-children. After all, the senior Melissa has gotten the lion’s share of the spotlight this season, essentially rewriting the Raider and Patriot League record books with her gaudy career batting statistics. She holds the Raiders’ all-time record for home runs (22), runs scored (125), hits (209), doubles (48) and total bases (339). She’s a three-time all-conference performer, she’s smart (a psychology major), she’s well-liked by her teammates.
As far as any little sister is concerned, that’s a lot to be jealous of. However, you’d have to have been hit with one of Melissa’s thunderous swings to believe that her little sis is like just any other sister.
The super-sophomore Natalie, who is almost two full years younger than Melissa, has quietly established herself as one of the most powerful hitters in the Patriot League’ever. With 20 career home runs, the younger Rawson has been hitting round-trippers at a clip that nobody, including big sister Melissa, has ever rivaled. She blasted 13 homers as a freshman; Melissa, the league’s all-time leader in home runs, didn’t reach that mark until late last season. Natalie, who swapped infield positions with Melissa this season and went from shortstop to first base, ranks second on the team to the elder Rawson in almost every offensive category. Her .391 batting average is bested only by Melissa’s league-leading .474 average. With 34 hits on the season, she trails her older sister by a dozen for the team lead. Regardless of how she finishes the season, she probably won’t even be considered the best infielder on her own team.
Think Natalie is jealous’ Think again. The sisters possess a bond and friendship that, quite frankly, you could only find between sisters. They share an apartment together on the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø campus and consider each other best friends. But still, Natalie has to feel a pang of jealousy, right’ Nope. No way. ‘I am happy for Melissa. She deserves all of the success she’s had and all of the attention she’s gotten,’ Natalie said. ‘Nobody has earned it more than Melly.’
Not only has Natalie been gracious in allowing Melissa to enjoy her temporary title as the Patriot League’s home run queen, she humbly praises her older sister for helping her develop as a student and as a person off the diamond. ‘I don’t know if there is any way I would have made it through last year without Melissa,’ she said. The duo, which has accounted for roughly 52% of the Raiders’ offensive output this season, has a special relationship in between the chalk as well. ‘We have our own little connection on the field. Sometimes I feel like we are in our own little world where we are always on the same page,’ said Rawson. ‘When she gets on base, it’s almost like we have a deal. She gets on and I almost have extra incentive to knock her in because she’s my sister.’
Growing up in Palmdale, California, an absolute softball hotbed, the roles were reversed. Natalie says that even in high school, people always considered Melissa the power hitter and her, the consistent slap-hitter. ‘People were really surprised that I hit so many home runs last year’but I think that is starting to change,’ she said.
What one might think has the necessary ingredients to produce a nasty sibling rivalry has turned into almost leisurely competition. ‘It’s been fun. We kid around with each other a lot about the whole records thing. Melly told me she expects me to beat all of her numbers before I graduate,’ said Natalie. She acknowledges that her older sisters’ records may fall, but when asked who is a better hitter, Natalie spoke like a true jealous, resentful little sister saying ‘I think she is, but I guess you’ll have to come watch and decide for yourself.’ Brat.