Former Smoky Mountain standout Derrick Hawk has signed to play baseball for Western Carolina. Looking on are his parents, Marc and Lou Ellen Hawk.
Former Smoky Mountain baseball standout Derrick Hawk is coming back to Jackson County for his collegiate career. After playing one year at Spartanburg Methodist Junior College, Hawk has signed a national letter of intent with Western Carolina and will have three years of eligibility for the Catamounts. Eventually signing with Western is something Hawk thought about when he inked with SMC. "It will feel good to come back and play in front of a lot of people I know," he said. The right-hander might have had to make a choice between WCU and other schools had it not been for a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the 2002 season. The 6-1, 175-pounder helped SMC to conference and regional titles and a spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in 2001. Used as a reliever, he posted a 2-1 record with a 2.28 ERA. He struck out 33 batters in 27 innings. When a sore shoulder failed to respond to rest, he was operated on Sept. 20 and found to have two partial tears in the rotator cuff of his right shoulder. "It took a while, but I'm basically better," Hawk said. He recently pitched five and a third scoreless innings for the Mountain Athletic Association Orioles. He allowed only two hits and walked no one while striking out 10. "It felt pretty good," he said of his arm. "It was a little sore the second day, but that's to be expected." Hawk said his fastball reached 86 mph which was almost what he threw at while in junior college. He said he should be at or near 100 percent by the first of the year. "I know I've still got a lot of work to do," he said. "He brings some experience on the college level," WCU Coach Todd Raleigh said. "He also brings a desire to win. He's always been a competitor. He's come a long way on the mound. If he can get healthy, he'll be a good pitcher in the Southern Conference." Raleigh said Hawk will probably be used as a starter depending on how he recovers from the injury. Hawk expressed a desire to start rather than coming out of the bullpen. "His progress has been tremendous," Raleigh said. "We'll have to evaluate things this fall and see how he fits in with the rest of the staff." The coach said Hawk was already a pitcher and not just a thrower when he was in high school. Raleigh said Hawk has increased his velocity since then and is now more of a power pitcher rather than a finesse pitcher. He noted Hawk throws four pitches - fastball, curve, slider and changeup - which is rare today. Hawk said the slider is his best pitch. "His game is going to be throwing different pitches for a strike at any time in the count," Raleigh said. "He's not afraid to throw inside either." A 2000 SMH graduate, Hawk set a school record as a senior with 93 strikeouts in just 54 innings. He had a 7-4 record with a 2.20 ERA. "I'm real happy for Derrick," said Tim Hawkins, his coach at Smoky Mountain. "He's well deserving. He was all-around one of the best players that I've ever coached by far." Hawk is the son of Marc and Lou Ellen Hawk of Sylva. He is the grandson of the late Don and Meg Ramsey and the late Mr. and Mrs. Warren Hawk.
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