Hawkins propels Pirates

Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was not ignorant to the potential consequences of having freshman Daniel Hawkins don the tools of ignorance.

But the right-handed hitting Dawkins is swinging such a hot bat lately, not even his first start at catcher this season could limit his suddenly impressive power.

Hawkins went two for three, and his three-run home run in the third inning erased a 2-1 deficit and put the Pirates ahead for good on their way to a 9-4 Orange Empire Conference triumph over visiting Irvine Valley on Tuesday.

“I was talking with my staff and we were wondering if [the extra workload at catcher] would affect his offense,” Altobelli said of Hawkins, who had played mostly outfield and had also been utilized at designated hitter. “Obviously we don’t have to worry about that. It’s all good.”

Hawkins’ offensive surge, regardless of what position he plays, has helped the Pirates (14-11, 5-5 in conference) win three straight games. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is eight for 15 with three home runs, two doubles and seven runs batted in in his last four games. In his previous 15 games, he was eight for 31 with only two extra-base hits (both doubles) and four RBIs.

“I was concerned about it, too,” Hawkins said of potential fatigue during his first start behind the plate since he played at Granite Hills High. “I thought it might tire me out a little bit, because it has been a long time since I’ve worked back there. But it worked out.”

Making Dawkins a fixture in the lineup the last nine games has worked out for the Pirates. Dawkins is 13 for 28 during that stretch. And with Altobelli continuing to look for a blend of offense and defense behind the plate, Dawkins may have found a home.

“We’re still kind of shuffling and still trying to figure it out,” Altobelli said of the catching situation, at which three players have previously competed for time.

Still 25 games into the season, Altobelli is also looking to solidify the starting pitching rotation, an issue that was not advanced by freshman Michael Giacone against the last-place Lasers (11-14, 2-8).

Giacone allowed four hits, two runs, walked three and hit one batter in 2 2/3 innings, before being lifted.

After Colin Ashworth, another starting candidate, allowed three hits and one run while recording just two outs and hitting a batter, sophomore Parker Manahan blanked the Lasers on three hits over 3 2/3 innings to record his first win of the season. Manahan struck out three and walked a batter.

Ryan Randel, a 6-7 freshman right-hander who is leading the OEC in earned-run average (1.76 in 30 2/3 innings), allowed one run on one hit in the final two innings to close out the victory.

“Pitching struggled [seven walks and two hit batters], but our offense did a great job of answering back,” Altobelli said. “Every time [IVC] scored, we scored. We got some big base hits, some extra-base hits, and we cashed in.”

Freshman J.T. Navarro, who started at shortstop, went two for three with one RBI, two runs and one stolen base for the hosts. Navarro leads the Pirates in batting (.409, which ranks third in the conference), hits (36), runs (19) and is tied for the team lead with 14 RBIs and three stolen bases. He also sparkled defensively, shifting over from his usual second-base spot to fill in for Nolan Powers (sore arm), who entered the game in the eighth inning to bounce Navarro back to second base.

Sophomore third baseman Jaiden France was two for three with a triple, two RBIs and two runs, while freshman left fielder Jake Scott was two for four with a triple for the winners.

Sophomore first baseman J.T. McLellan was one for three with two runs and his 14th RBI of the season.

Sophomore center fielder Chris Prescott also drove in a run to give him 13 RBIs. He is one of nine Pirates with between 10 and 14 RBIs in 2016.

“The offense is coming around,” Hawkins said. “Once we get our pitching to come around, I think we’ll be a really good team this year.”

If Hawkins can extend his hot streak, optimism about the Pirates’ stretch run just may catch on.

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Orange Empire Conference

Orange Coast 9, Irvine Valley 4

SCORE BY INNINGS

IVC 002 100 010 – 4 11 0

OCC 103 101 21x – 9 9 0

Millerd, McLellan (6), Markus (8) and Williams; Ciacone, Ashworth (3), Manahan (4), Randel (8) and Dawkins, Haysom (8). W – Manahan, 1-1. L – Millerd, 2-3. 2B – Navarro (OCC), Hawkins (OCC), Jack (IVC). 3B – Scott (OCC), France (OCC). HR – Hawkins (OCC).