 | | | 5/6/2008 12:01:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |  | Staff Photo: Benjamin Hager
Brookwood senior Chase Hawkins is heading to Georgia next fall after putting up impressive numbers on the mound and at the plate. |
| | THE HAWKINS FILE | Who: Chase Hawkins
Sport: Baseball
School: Brookwood
Class: Senior
Favorite movie: "Superbad"
Favorite food: Mexican
Favorite athletes: Greg Maddux, John Smoltz
Favorite music group: Incubus
Noteworthy:
• Has signed with Georgia
• Leads Gwinnett with a .544 batting average
• Left-hander is 10-0 with a 0.98 ERA
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Dual threat
By Will Hammock
Sports Editor
SNELLVILLE - There's nothing quite like a little extra motivation, especially from your future college coach.
Not long after Brookwood senior Chase Hawkins signed with Georgia last fall, Bulldog head coach David Perno made a statement that turned into an inspiration.
"I had some encouragement from Coach Perno," said Hawkins, whose nationally ranked Broncos begin the state playoffs Friday against Alpharetta. "He said they were going to take hitting away from me (and put a designated hitter in for me at Georgia).
"I was talking with him, cutting up. I said, 'If I hit over .400 this year, how about that?' So that was kind of a goal of mine. If I do that, maybe I'll get a chance to hit up there."
The .400 goal is looking pretty good.
Hawkins leads Gwinnett County with a .544 batting average (31-for-57), with three home runs and 18 RBIs. The left-hander was expected to be a critical batter in the Broncos' lineup, but he's been much better than that - in addition to his duties as the team's No. 1 pitcher.
His offensive explosion has come from the No. 6 spot in the 24-1 Broncos' loaded lineup.
"We always felt like he was a good hitter, but .544 or whatever he's hitting now, we did not imagine that," Brookwood coach Rick Howard said. "Pitching, I could see it happening. The hitting part, no. We felt like he'd be one of our top four guys (in hitting). But not like he's been hitting."
Hawkins, who hit .306 last year, credits his offensive output to extra strength conditioning in the offseason as well as work with Brookwood assistant coach Ryan Ledden.
Whatever the reason, it's turned the senior into quite the double threat.
The left-hander also has been outstanding in his other role, as the Broncos' ace pitcher. In 2007, Elliot Coor took the bulk of the key starts, but he graduated. Now it's up to Hawkins.
"Coming in, there was pressure (to be the No. 1 pitcher) before the season," Hawkins said. "Once you're in (the season), I don't really think about it. It's just fun now.
"But before the season, yeah, I was nervous."
It's easy to have fun with these kind of pitching numbers - 10-0 with a 0.98 ERA (seven earned runs in 50 innings) and 61 strikeouts.
Predominantly a fastball and curveball pitcher last season, Hawkins has added an impressive changeup to his rotation. That pitch has taken his development to another level, Howard said.
He also has noticed Hawkins is more confident this season, which both attribute to his play at the Sun Belt Classic (Okla.) with Team Georgia last summer. He was dominant against some of the nation's top talent, and the performance caught the eye of college scouts.
Hawkins said he didn't have much contact with college coaches until the trip to Oklahoma. Then it happened quickly.
"After my first game (in Oklahoma), I pitched a one-hitter, a shutout and I was happy because I did good," Hawkins said. "I didn't think I was going to get a lot of attention because I still wasn't bringing it. I was bringing 88 (mph) and the big guys out there are 92, 93. I went to the concession stand to get ice and I get a tap on the back of the shoulder and someone said, 'What's your number?' I turned around and he was in a Georgia Tech hat.
"That's when it picked up. Confidence-wise, (the recruiting) brings you up. But I went from nothing to a lot in like a week, so I didn't want to get too big-headed."
Later in the tournament, Team Georgia coach Chan Brown told Hawkins that Perno wanted his phone number. A few months later, the Georgia coach signed a desired left-handed pitcher, but he also is getting a pretty good hitter, too.
While Hawkins is excited about possibly swinging the bat in college, he has a few other goals left at the high school level. Brookwood is among the favorites for a state championship, which would be its first in baseball since 1987.
"Everything about this team, defense, offense, is just solid," Hawkins said. "I've been playing with most of these guys since we were 5 or 6 in T-ball. The chemistry's there. Our defense, going in as a pitcher, you just need to keep the ball low and our defense is automatic. I think we've got what it takes to win (state)."
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Saturday, August 02, 2008 
