Gearing Up for a Return Engagement : West Pitcher Eager to Play Against His Former Teammates at El Segundo

Hauss Hancock was uptight.

He wanted to make a good first impression for his West Torrance High teammates. West Coach Harry Jenkins tabbed Hancock as the starting pitcher for the season opener March 5 against Cerritos, and before taking the mound, Hancock said, “My legs felt like Jell-O.”

Seven innings later, he felt an onslaught of teammates mob him. In his first game as a Warrior, Hancock pitched a no-hitter as West won, 11-0.

“It really impressed them a lot,” said the 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-handed senior. “It impressed me too.”

Friday night, the Warriors (5-2) will play El Segundo (6-3) at 7:30 at Recreation Park in El Segundo. Hancock, who played for the Eagles last season, will be on the mound.

“It’s going to be a big game for me because I get to play against my old teammates,” said Hancock, who is 3-0 with a 2.47 earned-run average. “But, in a way, it’s good for me because now I can show my ex-coach something.”

Hancock said he left El Segundo last year because he wasn’t happy playing for Eagle Coach John Stevenson and assistant Craig Cousins. Last summer, his parents moved to Torrance, which enabled Hancock to attend West.

It wasn’t an easy decision, Hancock said, because his family has a long history of playing baseball for El Segundo. His father, Brad, and his uncle, Jeff, played for Stevenson in the 1970s. Also, Hancock’s girlfriend attends El Segundo.

Still, Hancock said he didn’t feel appreciated by Stevenson, despite being one of the Eagles’ best pitchers. He finished last season with a 4-2 record.

“During summer ball, they didn’t pitch me that much, they started pitching everybody else,” Hancock said. “They kind of heard the rumor that I was going to move, so they didn’t let me pitch from there.”

Stevenson, who has coached the Eagles for 34 years, wouldn’t discuss Hancock’s transfer, but said: “He did pitch in a lot of our tougher games. He pitched very well. He won the championship game at the Redondo tournament. He was the starting pitcher in the second-round CIF (playoff) game, but he got the loss, 5-4. I think he’s a fine kid. We wish him well.”

After not enjoying baseball last year, Hancock said he has been revitalized by Jenkins.

“He really talks to the guys, he’s really open to them,” Hancock said. “He communicates instead of yelling. If you make a bad play, he’ll pick you up.”

Hancock knows he needs to pick up his Scholastic Aptitude Test scores if he wants to play Division I college baseball next season. He fell short of the NCAA-required 700 on his first try, but will take the test again Saturday.

“It’s coming down to the wire,” Hancock said. “(But) there’s nothing wrong with going to junior college.”

Hancock, who said he has a 3.2 grade-point average at West, compared to a 2.4 GPA at El Segundo, also played football. Last season, as a tight end and outside linebacker, Hancock helped West reach the Southern Section Division IX semifinals and was named to the All-Pioneer League defensive team.

Most important to Hancock, though, was when the Warriors beat El Segundo, 24-20.

“Hauss had a very, very good game,” West football Coach Kerry Crabb said. “He was playing at a high emotional peak, but he seemed to lose his composure late in the game. There was a lot of taunting going on back and forth and he ended up getting thrown out of the game.

“To us, it was just good, rough play, but the (official) felt it was just a little bit excessive.”

Crabb, who has coached two years at West, said college football recruiters initially showed interest in Hancock, but have backed away because of Hancock’s grades.

“His grades have come up, I know that,” Crabb said. “But his previous performance has kind of buried him a little bit. It’s a problem with a lot of kids. They take their first two years of high school off and realize, ‘Gee, I’ve got some athletic potential.’ Sometimes it’s too late to stop the boat from sinking, so to speak.”

West catcher Tyler Wells said Hancock is a welcomed addition to the team, which tied Torrance for the Pioneer League title last season.

“He brings a lot of stability to the mound, because you know when he’s out there he’s going to get the job done,” Wells said.

Said Jenkins, in his third year at West: “Hauss is a real hard worker and a real competitive athlete. I was surprised at the no-hitter that he pitched so well that early in the season. He came in and actually got stronger as the game went on.”

Hancock would love to repeat that performance Friday night against El Segundo. That is, if nerves don’t get the better of him.

“I’ve been waiting for this game for a long time,” he said. “I’ve been getting butterflies. It’s just building up. I heard someone on El Segundo said they can’t wait to face me. I just can’t wait to get after it.”