Proving ‘Em All Wrong : Dawkins, Spurned by All but USC, Is Making Opposing Coaches Wish They Had Him

Some of that instant karma rocketed off Walter Dawkins’ bat March 11. Three, count ‘em, three home runs--two in one inning--against Kansas State.

A little more proof that good things come to those who work and wait.

By the time that third ball drifted over the fence, Dawkins was at a loss for words. He looked at his USC teammates and shrugged.

“I always figured I was a pretty good player, I just had to work hard,” Dawkins said. “If I did, things would roll my way sooner or later.”

Things are now rolling his way so fast, they gather no moss.

Consider:

Almost no one wanted Dawkins after he graduated from La Quinta High, at least not to play baseball.

Consider:

The entire semester he spent in a court room, instead of a classroom, to get custody of his two-year old daughter.

Consider:

The summer and fall he worked to regain academic footing after a semester of straight F’s.

Now consider this same guy doesn’t have a care in the world. Dawkins grins from ear to ear knowing his sun-will-come-out-tomorrow philosophy has paid off.

“With the struggles and difficulties Walt has had and now to see him have this success just makes everyone one who knows him extremely happy,” USC Coach Mike Gillespie said.

Everyone, that is, but opponents.

*

The most dangerous pitch you can throw in a USC game might be the first one.

Dawkins, a 5-10, 174-pound junior center fielder, leads off with a vengeance. He is hitting .317 this season, with a team-high 10 home runs. He has led off games with home runs three times this season, twice on the first pitch.

“One game, Pepperdine had scored two runs in the top of the first and Walt came up and hit the first pitch out,” Gillespie said. “That gave everyone a jolt.”

Along with the thunder comes lightning. Dawkins has stolen home three times in three seasons. Once, Gillespie sent him on a 3-2 pitch with two outs.

“With Walt, you can roll the dice,” Gillespie said. “It’s fun having a player with so much to offer.”

These skills were not so apparent to coaches a few years ago. Gillespie was the only coach to offer a scholarship. He did so after a Connie Mack game in which Dawkins was five for five with two triples, and made three spectacular catches--one after falling down.

Now Gillespie looks brilliant. No one disputes Dawkins’ ability. He was named to the All-Central II Regional team last May. He was selected ahead of Cal State Fullerton’s Dante Powell, considered a top prospect in the nation.

That success carried over to this season. Dawkins is a big reason the Trojans are 26-8 and are in first place in the Pac-10 with a 12-5 record. They are ranked third in the nation by Baseball America and sixth by Collegiate Baseball.

“The whole thing has been wonderful,” Dawkins said. “But I look back from where I came and, boy, has it been a long road trip.”

*

Dawkins story is a typical immigrant tale. When he was 10, his mother--one of 14 children--moved from Panama to Southern California seeking a better life. Hard work and determination could get them the American dream.

Yvonne Green, his mother, is now a nurse. She instilled in Dawkins a sense of responsibility that he has taken to heart.

During Dawkins’ senior year, a La Quinta teammate was being hassled by a local gang. Dawkins, who knew the gang’s leader, took it upon himself to solve the problem. All he did was ask the gang to stop. They did, out of respect for Dawkins.

“I remember I came home from work one time and he had fixed me dinner,” said Green, who divorced Dawkins’ father when Walter was 3 and has since remarried. “It was only rice and eggs, but he was only 5 years old at the time.”

It was his mother who channeled Dawkins’ energy into sports.

“I was always finding trouble, so mom shipped me off to Little League,” Dawkins said.

Said Green: “Not just baseball, but football, basketball and every single thing I could find.”

Dawkins played three sports in high school, but baseball was his strong suit. As a junior, he threw two no-hitters. He moved to the outfield as a senior and set a school record with nine home runs.

“He’s the best player I’ve coached here,” said Dave Demarest, La Quinta’s coach the past 20 years.

Others were not so impressed. Dawkins wasn’t drafted and there were no scholarship offers, only a drawer full of letters from colleges.

“I think now people are asking themselves: ‘Why didn’t I take him?’ ” Demarest said.

Gillespie took him, then nearly lost him.

*

The little girl yelling, “Daddy Walter,” at USC home games makes Dawkins beam.

“She even knows how to call me on the telephone,” Dawkins said.

A proud, and determined, father.

His daughter Ashley lives with Green. Dawkins sees her frequently, as she attends most of Trojan home games.

He spent most of the fall of 1992 working to gain custody. Dawkins said Ashley’s mother wanted to put her up for adoption.

“Ashley is part of me,” Dawkins said. “I couldn’t go on knowing that part of me was out there and I had nothing to do with her.”

Dawkins won custody, but the price was high. It took him away from baseball during the fall months and, more importantly, took him away from his studies. He flunked every class.

Gillespie wasn’t sure if Dawkins would play again. But then, he also knew Dawkins.

“There was no question he was in quite a hole,” Gillespie said. “It was going to take quite an effort, but Walter always gives quite an effort. He got tutors and took summer classes and made a genuine commitment.”

Dawkins had erased every failing grade by the end of the 1993 fall semester. He is on track to graduate next year, which will make him the first in his family’s generation--which includes 64 children--to graduate from college.

“He set a goal and reached it,” Gillespie said. “I think dealing with life the last year was a turning point for him.”

*

Life is a lot easier to deal with for Dawkins these days.

His daughter is near. His education is close. And his baseball career has taken off.

Dawkins hit .220 as a freshman and was struggling early last season. But things finally began to click when USC played California.

He was three for four with a couple doubles in the first game of a three-game sweep and was moved into the starting lineup for good.

“I felt more comfortable after that,” Dawkins said. “It carried over to the next series and the next series. It carried right into the regional.”

Dawkins hit .313 in the regional, as the Trojans reached the final, where they lost to Texas. Dawkins finished with a .291 average with four home runs and 22 RBIs for the season.

Those numbers have risen sharply this season.

“Coach told me I was going to have a big year,” Dawkins said. “But I never expected this.”

Who did? After all, Dawkins, who had only four home runs in his college career, has suddenly become the Trojans’ muscle.

He hit two against rival Arizona State and went four for six with two home runs against Loyola Marymount. He drove in five runs with his three homers against Kansas State.

“The guys really teased after the Kansas State game,” Dawkins said. “They were saying things like, ‘You’re out of your tree,’ and ‘No way you can do this, Walter.’ I had to agree. After I hit that third home run, I was even asking myself, ‘What the heck is going on.’ ”

Just some karma.