The Hawks warming up before game time.
Tampa- On January 30th, 2014, the city of Tampa looked as if it had swapped its geographical location with Seattle, Washington. Visibility was so poor that when a day long fog sat in the city, the skyline was nearly non-existent. The temperature never left the 50’s and the sun was attempting to push through the bleak, overcast sky, but with little to no success. None of this mattered to the Hillsborough Community College baseball team. The HCC Hawks found themselves in a predicament that forced them to be outdoors and in the elements that day. The day before the 30th was similar in description, but was brought a daylong downpour. The players and coaches knew that January 30th was no-where near ideal weather conditions to play baseball, but knew that this was going to be their only window of opportunity to keep the flow of their offseason rhythm in tempo. Players were completing the drills in their team hoodies and even full winter gear, wearing face covering masks. That day was comprised of only some hitting drills in the batting cages and some light throwing to keep the pitchers’ arms loose and ready for the next day.
January 31st, finally came around and the Hawks were champing at the bit to start the season by busting out of the gate against the Lake Sumter State College Lakehawks. HCC was going to have to wait until the next day to play, because once again the Florida weather reared its ugly head and brought a day full of rain, thunder, and wind. The second attempt at a season opener proved to be fruitful for players and fans. February 1st, showed the flip side of the weather coin and proved why Florida is known as the Sunshine State. As one fan said, “It is an immaculate day for baseball.” The season had kicked off against Pensacola State College
Dexter McCall breaking up the out and scoring the gaming tying run.
and the Hawks took full advantage of a 7-3 come-from-behind win. At the time that this article was written, the Hawks had charged ahead to a 7-3 record. The 7-3 record has given the Hawks an early (but slim) lead in the competitive Suncoast Conference.
So far the Hawks displayed a well balance team that shows off a talented starting rotation that allows the offense to create the runs necessary to compete against any team, and a bullpen that has the ability to hold off the opposition to complete the win. That’s not to take away from an offense that has managed to put some impressive numbers. One leader of the offense is Dexture McCall, a sophomore who transferred from St. Pete College and is a monster with a bat, but has also shown athleticism at 1st base; able to stretch his body as an extension of the base to guarantee the putout. McCall is the first to give credit to the pitching staff saying, “We have a really strong pitching staff…”, but also understands the how the offense is to the success of the team adding, “We also have tremendous hitting. We can go up there and hit doubles back-to-back get the runners in.”
McCall’s singles to the outfield.
While the Hawks have a history of success they had gone through a drought of making appearances in the state tournament, but snapped the skid in the 2013 when they made their first represented HCC in the state tournament. They were the toast of the tournament when they shutout the number one team in the nation, the Tallahassee Community College Eagles. The Hawks were eventually knocked out of contention by Palm Beach State and the State College of Florida respectively. This year’s team plans to build off of the success of last season and push the Hawks to a second consecutive appearance in the tournament. While all of the student athletes have a winning mentality and intend to complete a second successful year, they tend to not think too far ahead of the moment at hand. As Tino Mention, a freshman and playing his first year at the college level in right field, had said when asked to make a prediction, “I’m going to hold back but I see us going a long way.” Mention continued to emphasize the importance that the cohesion on the team saying, “So far so good. We’re a good team that plays together, we have no selfish people. We play as one, instead of selfish teammates; we’re playing as one whole team.”
Tino Mention making attempting a leaping catch.
The Hawks are primed and ready for another winning season, out to prove that their successful triumph over the number one team in the nation was no fluke, and don’t dare them otherwise.
Take A Knee 